Globe Telecom Inc. has built more cell site towers in the country as of end December 2020 compared to its competitors, according to the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).
NTC data showed Globe built 786 new towers from July to December 2020 despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, while the competition built 323 towers.
The ramped up tower builds were made possible through the enabling laws Bayanihan Act II and the issuance of Joint Memorandum Circular No. 01 s. 2020 that mandated the easing of permitting processes.
“There has really been an increase in the tower rollout and I think this is the positive response to the joint memorandum circular we have done as well to the President’s directive in easing up permits for the towers. We have seen a dramatic increase in the tower rollout,” said Emmanuel Rey Caintic, Department of Information and Communications Technology undersecretary.
As of end-2020, Globe had a total of 10,395 tower sites while competition had 10,079 and 2,360 towers, respectively.
NTC data showed there are 22,834 cell towers in the country as compared to Vietnam which has 90,000 towers based on TowerXchange data as of November 2020.
Meanwhile, Globe targets to build 2,000 new cell sites in more cities and municipalities this year to address the growing demand for connectivity. (M. Iglesias)
