Industry giant Globe Telecom plans to expand the rollout of fifth-generation (5G) services to key Philippine business districts within the year.

Globe, which launched pilot 5G services for the Philippines’ home broadband market last June, is preparing a wider rollout in Metro Manila for 2020. The initial rollout in 2019 centered on the Pasig area within the capital district.

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Globe is also looking to test the other capabilities of 5G, which offers ultrafast internet with minimal lag, for the broader mobile market.

It announced the release of a 5G-ready mobile phone, the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, for its premium platinum customers.

“Amid competitive pressures and rising challenges in the operating environment, Globe continues to fulfill its long-term commitment to provide the Philippines with first-world internet connectivity,” Globe CEO Ernest Cu said in the statement.

Globe has been ramping up investments in its mobile and fixed-line networks— both key components of 5G.

It spent P51 billion in 2019 as cell site deployment rose 139 percent while the number of 3G and 4G base stations went up 69 percent. It plans to deploy P63 billion in capital expenses for 2020, however, it did not break down specific spending for 5G.

Globe expects to announce more detailed plans for the 5G rollout by the second quarter of this year, a company spokesperson said on Friday.

Indicators continue to show rising demand for mobile internet.

Globe recorded a mobile data traffic surge of 78 percent to 1,699 petabytes, or about 1.7 million terabytes, in 2020. Filipinos also remain hooked to internet apps and video streaming.

Based on the Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview made by We Are Social, the Philippines had the highest average time spent on the Internet with nine hours and 45 minutes. The country also ranked first in daily time spent on social media with an average of 3 hours and 53 minutes.

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