Globe Telecom Inc. fired up 26 new Long Term Evolution (LTE)-capable cell sites in Oriental Mindoro and Marinduque through stronger partnerships with local cooperatives, the telco disclosed Tuesday, December 6.

Globe collaborated with the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (ORMECO) and the Marinduque Electric Cooperative Inc. (MARELCO) to power up 17 cell sites and nine towers in the first half of the year.

The infrastructure benefitted 102,000 customers in both provinces through faster and more reliable internet connection.

The partnership involves a joint pole agreement allowing Globe to tap the electric coops’ infrastructure for its connectivity equipment.

The coops also assisted Globe with its permanent power applications and securing necessary permits.

“Globe builds a stronger relationship with partners and stakeholders to uplift the lives of Filipinos," noted

Michelle Ora, Site Lifecycle Management Services Vice President.

"We believe that different organizations can work together to achieve positive societal impact," she explained.

"By moving towards a common goal, we leverage each other’s strengths and capabilities to address the needs of the communities and improve the experience of our customers.”

Globe spent P50.5 billion on capital expenditures in the first half of this year, mostly dedicated to network expansion and upgrades, ending up with P74.4 billion, by end-September.

Within the same period, the telco installed 572 new cell towers and upgraded 6,800 mobile sites to 4G.

Globe aims to build at least 1,700 new cell sites by year end.

By the end of Q3, this figure rose to 1,064 new cell sites, 10,600 mobile sites upgraded to LTE, and 1,887 new 5G sites nationwide.

Last year, the company spent P92.8 billion to construct 1,407 new cell sites, upgrade over 22,300 mobile towers, install over 2,000 5G outdoor sites and in-building solutions, and roll out 1.4 million fiber-to-the-home lines.