Photo shows a radio frequency identification (RFID) system installed in one of the posh subdivisions in Makati, used to monitor vehicles entering or leaving village premises, that causes signal interference for subscribers of Globe Telecom in the area. Photo courtesy of Globe Telecom

MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom on Wednesday said the security system of some exclusive villages has been causing cellular signal interference in parts of Makati City.

In a statement, Globe said its technical team discovered high-intensity radio frequency identification systems, sold to residential villages for security purposes, have been affecting its signal from Guadalupe to Magallanes.

RFID is a wireless non-contact use of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer data, for the purposes of automatically identifying and tracking tags attached to objects. The tags contain electronically stored information.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) confirmed the RFID system sold to residential subdivisions in the area to monitor vehicles entering and leaving village premises, have been using frequencies outside of the NTC-allowed frequencies for such systems.

"It is unfortunate that a RFID system aimed at providing security in certain villages has been the cause of a major source of signal interference in the area. We would like to assure our subscribers that the company is doing everything within its reach to resolve the issue," said Atty. Froilan Castelo, Globe head of Corporate Legal Services Division.

Castelo said Globe is now working closely with the NTC and homeowners’ association representatives from these exclusive residential subdivisions notably Forbes Park, Dasmarinas Village, Urdaneta Village and Bel-Air, to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Castelo said scanning tests will also be conducted in other exclusive villages to determine if their RFID system also causes network interference that results in mobile phone subscribers to experience dropped calls, garbled lines, and weak signal.

Globe Telecom is continuing to intensify its campaign against network interference to ensure subscribers are able to maximize the benefits of its network modernization initiative.