Earlier today, Globe Telecom officially announced the availability of its fourth generation LTE network for broadband and mobile use. Although no exact date was given, Globe’s LTE will be available in September 2012 through their Tattoo brand. Consequently, 4G LTE for mobile will be available by the fourth quarter of 2012 along with LTE-capable handsets and tablets.
“By September of this year, it’s all systems go to launch the 4G LTE network of Globe. On top of just offering the fastest speeds on the country’s best broadband service, Tattoo, Globe will offer 4G LTE on a full range of mobile phones by the fourth quarter of the year,” said Peter Bithos, Senior Advisor for Consumer Business of Globe Telecom.
Instead of putting up numerous LTE spots with limited range within the metro, Globe is focusing on areas where they expect high number of LTE users. As such, their first target is Makati where they will provide large contiguous areas of coverage for subscribers in the commercial and residential district. This lets you enjoy your LTE subscription in a wider area instead of being stuck in one spot. Globe will quickly expand their 4G LTE to cover regions across Manila, the three major capital cities and select regions across the country.
With Globe’s LTE connection, tests in highly populated areas in Metro Manila yielded up to 60 mbps downlink data throughput rate. To date, Globe has a total of 2,700 4G sites all over the country and expects to increase that number to 4,000 before the year ends.
If you’re wondering about plans, pricing and handset details, mums the word on that one despite continuous pestering from the media. We’ll just have to wait for their official launch soon.