Globe Telecom Inc. has phased out the third generation (3G) subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in the market in line with its goal to shift mobile subscribers to Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 5G technology for improved mobile internet experience.
Globe said it has completed the removal of consumer 3G SI Ms across its retail and distribution chains, having started this effort early last year.
3G for mobile brought an important breakthrough in terms of basic mobile internet access two decades ago.
However, new and better technologies like 4G LTE have been introduced since then, prompting many telecom companies across the world to stop offering 3G services while others are already in the process of doing the same.
“We urge our customers to switch to 4G LTE/5G-ready SIMs to be able to maximize Globe’s network upgrades and optimization.
Our Stores and partner retailers are ready to make this switch easy, convenient and safe for our customers,” said Bernie Llamzon, Globe executive vice president for channel management.
In line with the shift to 4G/LTE , Globe has introduced fully-enabled Voice over LTE (VoLTE ) in the National Capital Region, Rizal, Bulacan and Cavite to allow its customers to simultaneously surf the internet and make voice calls while enjoying clearer and improved mobile calls.
VoLTE is a standard high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones using 4G LTE instead of the traditional circuit-switched voice networks being used by 2G and 3G.
With VoLTE , customers can now have uninterrupted mobile browsing experience, online gaming, video streaming and more, even with incoming voice calls.
Since VoLTE utilizes 4G LTE, it has up to three times more voice capacity than 3G and up to six times more than 2G.
