Globe Telecom, Inc. and Dito Telecommunity Corporation have partnered with Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc. for small cell deployment to  boost network capacity and coverage.

The Aboitiz Group’s infrastructure arm expects more business within the next two years as telcos prepare for 5G deployment. 

To date, under separate lease agreements, the two telcos have deployed small cells across Aboitiz InfraCapital’s pole network in Cebu and Davao. 

 “While forging strong partnerships with telcos like Globe and Dito, we are also looking at growing our small cell sites beyond our current footprint as we anticipate the increased demand from telcos and other internet service providers (ISPs),"  according to Rafael Aboitiz, General Manager of Aboitiz InfraCapital’s small cell sites business.

"We are particularly keen on expanding in other key urban cities in Visayas and Mindanao, where network congestion is a primary issue that hampers service quality.”

 “The partnership with Aboitiz InfraCapital complements our  expansion and ensures we sustain the momentum of our aggressive network build,” Globe Chief Finance Officer Rizza Maniego-Eala commented.

Heeding the government’s call to help improve the Philippine’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure, Aboitiz InfraCapital ventured into the small cells sites business in addition to its common tower project. 

The company is offering its sites nationwide to support telcos and ISPs with their wireless network capacity and coverage.

A small cell network is a series of small low-powered, short-ranged antennas that provide coverage and capacity, meant to work in conjunction with macro cell towers.

Similar to the common towers business model, telcos and ISPs can co-locate small cell attachments in Aboitiz InfraCapital’s pole network.

This fast-tracks the telcos' expansion, increase service reliability, reduce costs, and lessen redundant sites.

While significant upgrades have been made in recent years, the country has a long way to go to address network quality, particularly for internet speeds. 

According to Speedtest by Ookla, mobile internet speed in the Philippines for September 2020 is ranked 119th in the world with an average download speed of 16.89 Megabits per second (Mbps), versus the global download average of 35.96 Mbps.