MANILA - Ayala-led Globe Telecom said it aims to have 80 percent of Metro Manila with 5G coverage by year end, as it continues 5G network expansion in key cities in Visayas and Mindanao.

“We have a very active 5G development in Metro Manila and we hope to cover 80 percent of that soon. We are probably in the two-thirds range right now. To complement this, we have also begun to roll out in six key cities in Visayas and Mindanao as part of the overall change we are making to bring 5G to more places and customers in the country,” Gil Genio, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Globe, said in a statement issued Thursday.

Globe said all cities in Metro Manila are already 5G territories, except some uncovered areas within cities.

It is also currently activating 5G networks in Bacolod, Boracay, Iloilo, Talisay, Lapu-Lapu, Cordova, Minglanilla and Cebu City in Visayas, as well as Davao City and Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.

Some areas in Davao are already using 5G since the first week of November. Globe is encouraging customers in Davao to get their 5G-capable mobile phones with postpaid plans at the Globe online store or Globe physical stores in Davao.

Globe’s 5G rollout is a part of a 3-pronged strategy for network upgrades and expansion which include the rapid expansion of cell sites, upgrading to 4G or LTE, and fast-tracking the "fiberization" of Filipino homes nationwide, it said.

The company committed P50 billion capital spending this year to accelerate the deployment of programs for faster network connectivity.

5G is the latest wireless internet connectivity that promises faster speeds, higher bandwidth, and more stable internet connections compared to 4G.

In July, President Rodrigo Duterte urged telcos to improve services by December or face closure and seizure of assets.

The Philippines' average mobile internet download speed of 15.06 Megabits per second was described as below the global average of 26.12 Mbps, according to the Speedtest Global Index in 2019.

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