Globe sees demand surge for bandwidth, ICT services

FILE PHOTO: A logo of Globe Telecom is seen at a Globe service center in Edsa, Quezon City, metro Manila, Philippines, May 7, 2018. Picture taken May 7, 2018. REUTERS/Dondi Tawatao

Ayala-led Globe Business sees more demand for high-bandwidth network and information and communication technology (ICT) solutions from its enterprise clients given the accelerated shift to digital during the pandemic.

Don Rae, senior advisor for Globe Business’s enterprise group, said on Tuesday “there is an emerging new breed of enterprise of hyperscalers.”

Hyperscalers refer to entities providing cloud, networking and internet services.

“There’s extremely high-bandwidth projects which are [undertaken by hyperscalers] like that, which include both international submarine cables, cable landing standing, domestic fiber and data centers,” he explained, noting this business segment is expected to grow for the next two to three years.

Singaporean JV

Recently, Globe inked a $350-million joint venture deal with Singapore-based ST Telemedia Global Data Centers and Ayala Corp. to expand its data center business by up to 100 megawatts. The firm currently has six data centers with a maximum power capacity of 30 MW.

Another offering in its portfolio that has been gaining traction was ICT projects, Rae said, which include development of applications and cybersecurity.

The Globe official said the telco giant had been beefing up its cybersecurity solutions as customers who are working remotely have become “more conscious” in this aspect.

“We are building up extensive facilities, as well as partnerships with all the major vendors to bring in vastly improved cybersecurity here, especially in a work-from-home environment,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rae said that Globe was also “significantly investing” this year to typhoon-proof its network by putting up undersea cables.

The telco firm earmarked P89 billion in capital expenditures for network upgrades and infrastructure development for 2022. About P21 billion of the programmed spending was already used in the first quarter.

In the first three months, Globe built 234 new cell sites, upgraded over 3,500 mobile sites and rolled out 380 new 5G sites. INQ