BIZ BUZZ: Terrestrial vs satellite? Globe bats for both
Globe Telecom Inc. is, apparently, taking notice of the heating telco wars that pit satellite against terrestrial, the old guard against the new kid on the block.
In a lengthy “think piece” over the weekend, the Ayala-backed telco, through its president and CEO Carl Cruz, acknowledged the growing noise around the two technologies that are increasingly competing to connect Filipinos, albeit through very different means.
Acknowledging, however, is not the same as participating.
Because while it recognized the plans of US-based satellite companies to penetrate the Philippine market, as well as the chatter surrounding satellite technology itself, Globe sought to paint a telco landscape spacious enough for everyone.
“No single technology can connect a nation,” Cruz said. “The challenge is not deciding which technology wins. The challenge is ensuring every Filipino has access to reliable connectivity wherever they are.”
Globe even went so far as to defend satellite technology, which in recent months has come under fire from its largest rival, PLDT Inc., for supposedly being slower than its terrestrial counterpart and too niche for mass adoption.
The Ayala-led telco argued that direct-to-cell satellite services open “new opportunities” to reach far-flung areas where building conventional cell towers remains difficult. It also sees the technology as key to reaching the remaining 4 percent of Filipinos still outside terrestrial mobile coverage.
In fact, both Globe and PLDT deployed Starlink-backed connectivity in parts of Mindanao after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake disrupted some of their network facilities earlier this month.
“Rather than viewing satellite and terrestrial networks as competing technologies, Globe sees them as complementary components of a broader connectivity ecosystem,” the company said in the same think piece.
Is this a subtle—if somewhat belated—response to the swings PLDT COO Menardo “Butch” Jimenez Jr. has taken at direct-to-cell satellite technology and, by extension, Globe’s own partnership with Starlink? That one can only surmise.
What is clear, however, is that Globe is committing to both.
And as the telco wars continue to heat up, the company appears keen on portraying itself as the genial player willing to make room for everyone—whether newcomers to the market or new technologies themselves.
“Mobile networks, fiber infrastructure, submarine cables, and satellite technologies each have a role to play in building a more connected, resilient, and inclusive Philippines,” Cruz said. “And this is exactly what we hope to fully achieve.”
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