The telecoms firm intends to supply high-speed internet to tens of thousands of homes and offices in important metropolitan centres as part of its $1.2 billion capital spending this year, Alberto de Larrazabal, Globe’s chief commercial officer, told reporters.

 

Globe would use Huawei’s equipment including radios and modems to deliver 5G good broadband internet, he added. Huawei and Finland’s Nokia were Globe’s components providers for its 4G service.

 

The United States had warned that next-generation 5G equipment, which some telecoms experts see as more sensitive to attack than previous technology, just might be taken advantage of by the Chinese government for spying if supplied by Huawei, which the company denies.

 

Washington, a treaty ally of Manila, had persuaded governments and telecoms operators to eschew Huawei, the world’s largest maker of telecommunications equipment. Globe hired independent firms “to ensure that our security protocols are up to date, to make sure privacy and security issues are addressed,” de Larrazabal said.

 

Philippine customers, the world’s top social media users, frequently get annoyed with slow and choppy internet connections. The Philippines’ mobile internet and fixed broadband speeds lag behind its neighbours, data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index showed.

 

It positions 107th among 178 countries when it comes to fixed broadband speed at 19.55 megabits per second (Mbps) versus the global average of 59.6 Mbps. Among 140 countries, it rates 107th in terms of mobile internet speed at 15.10 Mbps, roughly half of the 27.22 Mbps global average. Globe is owned by Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp, with Singapore Telecommunications Ltd holding a minority stake.

 

Source: TRONSERVE