Globe Telecom Pushes for Industry-Wide Collaboration to Deliver Connectivity to Remote Areas

Globe Telecom supports the country's quest for digital inclusiveness by advocating for a collaborative, industry-wide approach to infrastructure expansion in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).

Carlo Puno, Globe's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer, emphasized the significance of collaboration among telcos, government agencies, and tower operators in maximizing current resources and expanding telecom services to disadvantaged populations.

“It should be a rollout that is maximizing the current footprint of the different players, potentially leveraging the towercos’ presence in certain areas and avoiding duplication of efforts in any of the mobile network operators,” Puno said at a recent media briefing.

“I think if we're able to do that, we will be able to support the government and bridge that digital divide. But it has to be more [of] a conversation in the industry rather than just one player like Globe rolling out,” he added.

​​Globe now operates over 600 sites in GIDA zones.

The Connectivity Plan Task Force (CPTF), led by Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO, and operating under the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), has recommended the building of additional towers in rural areas of the country through a public-private partnership.

This is consistent with the Marcos administration's efforts to provide connections to isolated places. Over 7,000 Philippine barangays are designated as GIDAs, with over 25 million individuals lacking access to life-sustaining connections.