Aquino hails Globe $790M upgrade

MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino on Wednesday thanked Globe Telecom for its five-year $790-million modernization program as he underscored the importance of the cell phone industry in his administration’s bid to serve the people.

The President led Globe officials and its partners Huawei and Alcatel-Lucent in the signing of their respective contracts as well as the ceremonial switch-on of the Globe mobile network modernization program at Malacañang.

“We would like to thank Globe for this massive investment, for this placing a bet on our country’s future that enables us to address the problems really in a much quicker pace to the ultimate benefit of the people,” President Aquino said in his speech.

Aquino acknowledged that the cell phone industry was “very vital in achieving the aims of truly serving our people better.”

This as he pointed out the need for “instantaneous communications” on many concerns affecting the country, including the fact that it was prone to landslides and flashfloods because there were 23 typhoons that visit the country every year.

“Cell phones will provide the necessary link between the sensors that are in the riverbeds and on our mountain sides to warn our people of the dangers of natural calamities way before they actually see it,” Aquino said.

Globe Telecom chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who witnessed the signing and switch-on, said his presence at Wednesday’s event was “to show our commitment to the economy by committing heavily on what the economy needs.”

“It’s an exciting time for us,” Zobel de Ayala told reporters.

He expressed his excitement over what he said was the good performance of the economy, the low inflation rate and the strong market, which he said was at “its strongest ever.”

“We’re investing close to $800 million in upgrading the whole telecommunications infrastructure of Globe and taking it up to a whole different level…,” Zobel de Ayala said.