Globe to bring 5G to Malacañang, Senate, Lower House

Globe Telecom is rolling out its 5G service in Malacañang Palace, Senate and the House of Representatives.

The company, which is in the midst of a nationwide network upgrade, also announced plans to improve network coverage and capacity in these areas.

Specifically, Globe said the upgrade would cover Kalayaan Hall, Mabini Hall and the Presidential Guest House in Malacañang; the Senate, which is housed in GSIS Building in Pasay, and the Main, North, South, House of Representatives Annex, Ramon V. Mitra and the Legislative Library Buildings in the Lower House.

“These buildings house key branches of our government which in turn provide basic and immediate services to our nation,” Joel Agustin, Globe senior vice president for program delivery, network technical group said.

“Moreover, these important government offices will be 5G ready so internet services will be much faster and better. These efforts will help our Chief Executive, his cabinet and our lawmakers to communicate and update executive and legislative efforts that will best serve the people,” he added.

Incumbent telco providers Globe and PLDT Inc. were previously criticized by President Duterte for spotty service quality even though the installation of telco infrastructure was hampered by the slow government permitting process.

More recent government measures have reduced regulatory bottlenecks.

Globe said it had submitted its design and upgrade proposals to Malacañang, Senate and the House of Representatives.

The proposals are expected to be finalized and approved within the month.

“Once the project takes off, the modernization efforts are scheduled to take at least eight to 16 weeks,” Globe said.

—Miguel R. Camus