Globe Telecom Inc. said over the weekend it secured more cellular tower permits from several local government units across the country to improve the voice and data experience of customers.
The company said after obtaining 411 permits in August, it gained 252 more in September to bring the total to 631 building permits. It was the most number of permits given by LGUs to Globe in a span of two months.
“These permits complement our aggressive builds and roll-outs as we not only increase our capacity and capability but more importantly, we make connectivity possible and accessible in areas that don’t have any access to the internet before,” said Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice president for program delivery of the network technical group.
Agustin said Cavite, Bulacan, Batangas, Rizal and Pangasinan were the top five provinces which issued the most number of building permits. It also received permits to build cell towers in Agusan Del Norte, Zamboanga Del Norte, Zamboanga Del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Maguindanao, Antique, Laguna, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Tarlac, South Cotabato, Isabela and La Union. Forty-seven provinces and cities also released few permits.
Globe said that aside from building permits, it also gained favorable response in Cebu, Quezon City, Makati, Davao Del Sur, Cavite, Kalinga Apayao, Romblon, Sorsogon, Sultan Kudarat and Mandaluyong and 38 other provinces and cities regarding its network rollouts.
It said it secured 84 certificates of final electrical inspection permits in the last eight weeks.
The CFEI permit is important in tower builds because it is a requirement in applying for a permanent power source to fire up the cell sites or cell towers.
Globe said it plans to install at least 800 cell sites nationwide in the fourth quarter.
It said that in Metro Manila and Rizal, it would build at least 319 cell sites. Globe said that in North Luzon, at least 100 sites are in the pipeline with Bulacan, Pampanga and Pangasinan topping the 15 provinces with the most builds.
Globe laid out a three-pronged strategy for its network upgrades and expansion, which includes aggressive cell site builds, upgrading cell sites to 4G/LTE using different frequencies and fast-tracking the fiberization of Filipino homes nationwide.
The company earlier revised its 2020 capital expenditure guidance to P50.3 billion from the original P63 billion given the delays in the rollout during the community quarantine period. The company invested P20.9 billion in its network in the first half, or 10 percent higher than last year and representing 29 percent of gross service revenues.
Bulk of the capex spending went to data-related requirements, comprising 76 percent of the total capex spending for the period.
