Restoration Activities Undertaken Amidst Typhoon Nina Aftermath

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Globe Telecom has dispatched technical personnel to immediately restore network services affected by Typhoon Nina in some parts of Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Marinduque, Sorsogon and Masbate, Oriental Mindoro and Quezon as of 12 pm Monday.

Strong winds from Typhoon Nina that caused commercial power interruption and multiple fiber cuts resulted in temporary service disruptions especially in Albay and Camarines Sur. Business continuity protocols including network redundancies have been activated to reduce the impact of service disruption to customers in the said areas.

"Based on our network team assessment, intermittent services were mostly caused by commercial power outages in the Bicol Region. Generator sets for cell towers are now being used to allow customers to use basic telecommunications services such as calls and text messaging. However, at least 6 towers located in Camarines Sur (4 towers) Albay and Marinduque were structurally affected which will make full service restoration longer. The towers were reportedly damaged because of strong winds that ran up to 200 km per hour. Multiple fiber cuts were also reported from Pili to Legaspi," said Yoly Crisanto, SVP for Corporate Communications of Globe.

Globe technical teams have been deployed to make restoration efforts as soon as weather permits. Globe is likewise coordinating with government agencies relating to deployment of relief operations in areas affected by the typhoon.

Globe: 11 SMS Alerts Sent Out to Customers Prior to Typhoon Nina’s Landfall

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Globe Telecom transmitted a total of 11 text messages, warning customers of potential dangers coming from Typhoon Nina prior to its landfall.

According to Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto, transmittal of the text messages was undertaken in coordination with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at no cost to consumers. “As a provider of vital telecommunications services, Globe recognizes the importance of disseminating information that would help ensure the safety and security of our customers specially during times of emergencies and calamities. The company is deeply committed in providing support for the government in undertaking such initiatives,” Crisanto said.

Crisanto said the mobile disaster alerts sent by Globe included critical information that communities at risk can use to prepare for and respond to disaster. She said Globe began transmittal of SMS alerts last December 24, at around 6 pm directed to customers in Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, warning them to take caution against dangers brought by the typhoon.

Globe said 10 more text messages were sent out, also directed in addition to the four provinces, to customers in Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Masbate, including Ticao and Burias island, Marinduque, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Batangas, Romblon and Polilio island. Globe sent out close to 11 million text messages, which were crafted by NDRRMC and relayed to Globe for transmittal, she added.

Globe Well-Equipped to Accommodate Upsurge in Holiday Network Traffic

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Globe Telecom said it is ready and well-prepared to accommodate an expected surge in network traffic during the holiday season.

The company expects a significant increase in network traffic even as customer behavior in sending holiday greetings continue to evolve, Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto said.

“Growing adoption of smartphone devices, as more and more of our customers continue to shift to a digital lifestyle, is expected to lead to surges in data use. With the seasonal increase in data traffic, we want to assure our customers that Globe is ready and well-prepared to accommodate our customers’ bandwidth requirements,” Crisanto said, adding that Globe also expects similar a surge in network traffic coming from voice and SMS traffic.

Globe recently completed deployment of 500 LTE sites using the 700 megahertz band consistent with efforts to improve internet service in the country. Majority of the company’s L700 sites were deployed mostly in Metro Manila and other highly-populated areas, where majority of customers using LTE-based handsets are located. In addition, the company also activated 900 additional LTE sites using the company’s additional spectrum allocation in the 2600 megahertz band.

With the deployment of LTE sites using both the 700 and 2600 bands, Globe is now able to deliver a more comprehensive LTE coverage in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, Metro Davao and other major urban areas in the country. The use of both LTE 700 and LTE 2600 bands, along with the company’s additional spectrum resources, supports the capacity enhancement initiative launched by the company early 2016 intended to elevate the state of internet in the country. Globe also launched early this year an initiative of creating an internet superhighway by deploying fiber optic cables in 20,000 barangays all over the country to provide faster and more reliable internet access in about 2 million homes nationwide.