Globe commences Massive MIMO rollout
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The Philippines’ Globe Telecom has commenced the commercial deployment of massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology to improve the mobile connectivity experience in dense urban areas.
The commercial deployment follows initial testing of the technology in the Makati financial district of Metro Manila. The testing demonstrated the ability of the technology to improve capacity up to six times compared to a regular site.
Globe’s initial rollout will cover 150 cell sites, mostly in Southern Luzon and Northern Luzon, according to Joel Agustin, SVP for program governance at the operator’s Network Technical Group.
“The use of massive MIMO technology is an important component of our goal to stay ahead of the demand curve for data capacity in densely populated and high-foot traffic areas,” he said.
Globe this month also became the first operator in the world to activate massive MIMO using two-carrier aggregation, the company said.
The deployment makes use of Globe’s 2.6-GHz spectrum holdings. Globe acquired additional 2.6-GHz spectrum from last year’s joint purchase of San Miguel’s telecoms assets with rival PLDT.
Questions & Answers
Q.Where is Globe primarily focusing its initial rollout of Massive MIMO technology?
Where is Globe primarily focusing its initial rollout of Massive MIMO technology?
Globe's initial rollout will cover 150 cell sites, predominantly in Southern Luzon and Northern Luzon, to improve mobile connectivity in dense urban areas.
Q.What was the observed improvement in capacity during the initial testing of Massive MIMO?
What was the observed improvement in capacity during the initial testing of Massive MIMO?
Initial testing of the technology in the Makati financial district showed it could improve capacity up to six times when compared to a regular site.
Q.Which spectrum band is Globe using for this Massive MIMO deployment?
Which spectrum band is Globe using for this Massive MIMO deployment?
The deployment of Massive MIMO technology makes use of Globe’s 2.6-GHz spectrum holdings, which were acquired last year.
Q.What is unique about Globe's activation of Massive MIMO this month?
What is unique about Globe's activation of Massive MIMO this month?
Globe became the first operator globally to activate Massive MIMO using two-carrier aggregation, according to the company.
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