Globe heeds call of Duterte to improve telco services; PLDT defers comment

July 28, 2020

Globe Telecom said it heeds ''the call of the President to improve telco services “ after the Chief Executive warned telcos to improve service by December or the government will be forced to take drastic steps.

“I’ve call(ed) on our communication companies to improve their services  or else we will be forced to take drastic steps…,”  President Rodrigo Duterte said in his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

“If you are not ready to improve, I might just as well close all of you and we will revert back to the line of telephone,” he added.

Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT) deferred from issuing any statement. PLDT earlier said it will be spending over P60 billion this year to fund its network expansion.

Shares of PLDT and Globe fell but Dito CME Holdings Corp. gained in the Philippine Stock Exchange. PLDT lost P7 to P 1,312 and Globe gave up P6 to P2,004.

DITO CME Holdings, which gained a license to be the Philippines' third telco, rose 15 centavos to P2.81 as it became  the second most active stock at the PSE at noontime.

Crisanto said for 2020, Globe earmarked $1.2 billion  in capex, majority of which goes to network and capacity builds.  ''These substantial investments are paying off as we experience marked service improvements'', she said.

“Today, the Globe network is running at  4G/LTE.  Last year, we launched 5G for Globe At Home and soon we will be launching mobile 5G services in the country. Globally, we are being cited for having improved internet experience,” Crisanto added.

“Although we have seen marked improvements, the industry is not without its challenges,” Crisanto said. She added long processes allowing access across lovcal government units, homeowners associations and national agencies have hampered cellsite construction and laying down of fiber to homes.

Globe and PLDT’s  network roll outs have been hinderedby the reduced mobility of its network teams since  enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was imposed. DMS