Globe Telecom completes direct-to-device voice call

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

Globe Telecom seeks to speed up addressing coverage gaps in far-flung areas after it completed a trial of direct-to-device satellite voice calls.

In a statement over the weekend, the telco said it conducted the Philippines’ first voice call using a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite directly to a mobile phone. Even in challenging weather conditions, Globe said, they made and received mobile calls “with clear and stable audio quality.”

The trial was held in the Bagac municipality in Bataan province, which Globe noted had no ground-based infrastructure.

For this test, Globe teamed up with Lynk Global, a provider of direct-to-device connectivity. The Ayala-led group said that Lynk provides “cell towers in space” through a constellation of LEO—low Earth orbit—satellites.

The successful demonstration, Globe said, shows the possibility of covering geographically challenged areas as well as disaster-prone communities.

“Globe revolutionizes connectivity by bringing nextwave solutions to the remotest areas…,” said Gerhard Tan, senior director and head of Technology Strategy and Innovations at Globe.

“This will bridge the digital gap while supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by providing innovative direct-to-device service in the hands of every Filipino,” he added.

For ‘unconnected’ areas

Lynk chief commercial officer Daniel Dooley, meanwhile, said that both parties will launch this service to “unconnected communities in rural areas, remote islands and maritime zones.”

“[We] will ensure that the broader Filipino population has connectivity in times of need when the terrestrial networks are down,” Dooley said.

In an earlier briefing, satellite telecommunications network provider SES also said it was in discussion with Philippine telcos for the deployment of 4G and 5G networks in rural areas, including direct-to-device capability.

SES said that by tapping this technology using satellites, telcos will not have to invest in infrastructure, like cell sites or ground stations, to communicate directly to consumers’ devices such as smartphones. INQ