MANILA - Globe Telecom said Thursday it planned to install at least 800 cell sites during the fourth quarter of 2020 to improve mobile signal and connectivity.

In Metro Manila, at least 319 cell sites are set to be constructed, 100 in North Luzon with Bulacan, Pampanga and Pangasinan as among the top 15 provinces with most builds, the telco said in a statement.

Globe said Cavite is on the top 12 provinces in South Luzon which was identified as a target area for expansion. The list also includes Albay, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Quezon, Laguna, Marinduque, Masbate, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan and Romblon, it said.

At least 64 towers and small cell sites are being planned in the region, Globe said.

In Visayas, 147 sites are being eyed in Cebu. Sites are also set in Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Siquijor, Samar and Negros Oriental. A total of 190 installations will be built in these provinces.

166 sites are also planned for Mindanao with Davao del Sur getting the most number, Globe said.

“We expect mobile signals to improve moving forward especially in challenged areas. As we increase site density, connectivity will be made available and accessible to more communities," Globe Senior Vice President for Program Delivery, Network Technical Group Joel Agustin said.

Agustin said the telco would use small cell sites and other technologies to build more capacity in areas where towers cannot be built immediately.

Its rival PLDT Inc has also announced plans to hasten tower builds to improve connectivity while third telco DITO Telecommunity said it might be able to build some 2,000 towers and base stations by year-end, ahead of its March 2021 commercial launch.

In his 5th State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte called on telcos to improve services by the end of the year or face closure or expropriation.

The Bayanahihan to Recover as One law also has provisions streamlining the permitting process to hasten telco tower builds in the next few years.

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