Globe
Telecom is the first Philippine telecommunications company to adopt the TV
white space frequency for broadband use in line with its commitment to improve
the state of internet in the country especially in remote and outlying areas in
the country. The move would maximize available spectrum given rapid increases
in data consumption amid growing smartphone penetration.
In
partnership with the Information and Communications Technology Office of the
Department of Science and Technology, Globe is currently pilot-testing the use
of the frequency for broadband service in several areas in the country,
including Bohol and Cebu. The initiative is expected to provide an
alternative wireless network that will provide data connectivity in far flung
areas in Visayas and Mindanao.
“To help
improve the internet experience of our customers, Globe is working on enhancing
cell site density of our network, a prerequisite in providing additional
bandwidth capacity amid exponential growth in data use. However, building a
cell site has proven to be a major challenge for us and we couldn’t build cell
sites as fast as we want to. We hope that making use of available spectrum
would enhance bandwidth capacities and allow our network to transmit enormous
amount of data at faster speeds,” Globe Senior Vice President for Network
Technologies Strategy Emmanuel Estrada said, noting that construction of a
single cell site involves about 25 permits with at least 8 months lead time.
According
to Estrada, another obstacle in rolling out broadband service in rural areas is
that the concentration of establishments and households does not make it
economically viable for telecommunication providers to deploy broadband
facilities. He said the TV white space technology is expected to address
this concern. TV white
space is considered an ideal wireless data delivery medium in the Philippines
because of its long distance propagation features and the ability of its
signals to travel over water and through thick foliage. The latest TV
white space equipment can deliver up to 10 megabits per second of data
throughput at a maximum range of 10 kilometers and can accommodate numerous
customers at any given time.
Estrada
said increasing demand for wireless data traffic and growing pressure to
network capacity has spurred an interest to utilize these unallocated portions
of the radio spectrum. The TV white space’s long range of reach means
utilization of this frequency for broadband use would require less number of
cell sites to provide coverage for a given geographic location compared with
existing wireless technologies, he said. This means that the use of the TV
white space spectrum for propagation of broadband technologies is more cost
efficient for ISP providers.
TV white
space refers to the either unassigned or unused frequencies located between
broadcast TV channels, which can be used to provide wireless data connectivity
to remote communities in the country. These vacant frequencies are
located between broadcast TV channels in the UHF and VHF range of 54 MHz and
806 MHz. Utilizing TV white space for propagation of internet service is
relatively a new technology as TV broadcast began transitioning from analog to
digital, paving the way for the availability of more TV channels or frequencies
that could be utilized for broadband use.
DOST
Undersecretary Louis Casambre, for his part, said there is a need to enhance
internet service in the provinces, stressing the use of the TV white space for
broadband use would provide data connectivity among local government units and
national agencies, hospitals and health centers as well as among educational
institutions in rural areas.
The ongoing
TV White Space pilot testing in the country is the most extensive in the Asian
region. So far, only the United States has already undertaken commercial
deployment while many other countries are holding trials.
In
addition to the TV white space frequency, Globe is also calling for the
harmonization and equitable distribution of the unused 700 MHz band as part of
its bid to enhance network capacities, emphasizing that utilization of this
particular spectrum would allow the telecommunication companies to provide
broadband and data services at faster speeds and in a more cost-efficient
manner. Even with the utilization of the TV white space frequency, Globe
needs an allocation from the 700 MHz as this spectrum has existing technology
for state-of-the-art LTE, currently not available for TV white space frequency.
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