Globe to set up cell sites in posh villages

MANILA, Philippines – Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. gets support from upscale subdivisions for the installation of cell sites within their communities.

The firm said that 5 posh villages – Bel-Air, Dasmarinas, Forbes Park, San Lorenzo and Urdaneta – are open to having the network’s outdoor distributed antenna system (ODAS) installed within their perimeters.

Given the growing need for high-speed mobility, ODAS is among Globe’s tailored solutions to improve subscribers’ wireless access. This is part of a massive modernization plan. (READ: Globe signs $75-M loan to fund modernization)

Globe’s Emmanuel Estrada, head of network technologies strategy, said that ODAS uses specialized lamp posts as cell sites. The posts have radio signal transmission capacity.

Globe said the posts will be disguised as palm trees, making them unobtrusive.

“Community support is vital in the implementation of any network technologies. We are grateful that our effort to improve cellular signal in posh villages is generating support from the communities concerned,” Estrada said.

Cell sites are usually built around exclusive subdivisions, and mobile phone signals coming from the sites sometimes allow limited cellular coverage, especially indoors.

The 5 villages that support Globe’s expansion are all in Makati. Signal problems in a portion of the city were earlier blamed on home security systems. – Rappler.com