Globe Telecom Inc. is ready to roll out Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) roaming service, following the technical tests it conducted on outbound and inbound VoLTE roaming with Airtel of India.
This is in preparation for the shift of some overseas operators from legacy networks, Globe said, noting its commitment to provide an excellent and sustainable international roaming experience for its customers as VoLTE has faster call setup times and clearer voice quality than second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) technologies.
“Globe will continue to innovate and invest in new technologies to ensure that our customers have the best service. We are excited to roll out VoLTE Roaming and provide them with a seamless and enjoyable experience while traveling in foreign destinations,” said Coco Domingo, Globe vice president for postpaid and international business.
On its way to providing VoLTE roaming capability, Globe said its technical team performed successful VoLTE outbound and inbound roaming calls with Airtel, demonstrating the readiness of its mobile network to support outbound and inbound VoLTE roaming.
A number of telecom companies in other countries are planning to retire their 2G and 3G networks to make way for more efficient 4G and 5G networks.
As a result, Globe’s international roaming customers latched on to partners that have already decommissioned 2G and 3G and will no longer be able to make and receive traditional voice calls or send and receive text messages, including one-time passwords that are needed for secure banking transactions.
Calls and texts over 4G and 5G networks require customers to have VoLTE-capable handsets and the availability of VoLTE roaming service.
While VoLTE roaming is still being built, Globe customers in countries that no longer have any 2G or 3G access may opt to subscribe to data roaming offers that allow them to make and receive calls and messages through over-the-top apps such as Viber, WhatsApp and Messenger. Customers may register and track their data usage via the GlobeOne app. – Myla Iglesias
