By Catherine Cueto

GLOBE Telecoms on Tuesday said that they are upgrading their network, especially in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas, to help provide connectivity to 17,000 public schools that still do not have data or internet access.

In a statement, Michael Agustin, Director for Enterprise Sales of Globe, said it had been one of the company's projects. He announced this during the Industry Leaders Conference on Connecting Last Mile Schools organized by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through All Children Reading Philippines (ACR-Philippines), Better Access and Connectivity (Beacon), and Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines (ABC+).

Agustin talked about closing the digital divide in education through network expansion and inclusive connectivity deployments.

"We recognize that the network infrastructure remains the core foundation for digital inclusion. That is why we continue to work with the government, non-government institutions, and the community in addressing the inequalities of the digital divide by democratizing access, enabling platforms, and helping educators embrace technology," he said.

Agustin noted how Globe earmarked P89 billion this year for its capital expenditures. For the first half of 2022, it has already spent P22 billion on constructing 572 new cell towers. An additional 1,700 cell sites are expected to be installed all over the Philippines by yearend to reach more unserved and underserved Filipinos.

At the same time, the company continues to roll out 4G/LTE across its network to improve customer data experience further. It is also adding more 5G sites for better connectivity.

The statement also said that Globe plans to build an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) backbone in Mindanao and is now in talks with the Mindanao Development Authority.

It is partnering with regional providers in remote areas and coordinating with local government units (LGUs) and communities to see how Globe can provide services and improve the signal.

"We're working closely with provinces, cities, and municipalities in identifying the areas because building towers and our network across the country really needs the help of the LGUs and the communities themselves," Agustin said.  

Aside from network expansion, the digital solutions platform is working with the Mindanao Development Authority in mapping out and identifying projects in their roadmap, especially under the people's well-being program. This includes education, health, and wellness in different municipalities across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).