Globe 5G speed is now three times faster than mobile WiFi, according to Ookla®  Speedtest Intelligence® data for the first quarter of this year.

The leading telco and digital solutions provider logged a 5G median download speed of 121.29 Mbps versus the 42.95 Mbps booked by all fixed providers in the Philippines from January to March.

Ookla used the statistical validation approach called Hsu’s Multiple Comparisons with the Best (MCB) procedure to identify how fast Globe’s 5G median download speeds are in comparison with mobile WiFi speeds.

Globe has attributed continuous improvements in mobile network speeds to steady investments in network upgrades and infrastructure development.

“We are committed to bringing better mobile experiences for our customers not only in terms of speed but more importantly how we extend life-essential services through our robust network.  We realize that our customers’ needs have changed and we are there to meet these changes in a big way.  For us to do this, we continue to invest in the latest mobile technologies like 5G,” said Ernest Cu, Globe President, and CEO.

For this year, Globe has earmarked P89 billion for its capital expenditures to build new cell sites, upgrade existing sites to 4G/LTE, accelerate the rollout of 5G connectivity, and ramp up the fiberization of Filipino homes nationwide.

In 2021, the digital solutions provider spent an all-time high P92.8 billion to fire up over 2,000 5G outdoor sites and in-building solutions, build 1,407 new cell towers, upgrade 22,300 mobile sites, and install 1.4 million fiber-to-the-home lines.

Globe’s relentless expansion to improve service is part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9, highlighting the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. It is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.

Huawei released its 2021 Annual Report on March 28th, revealing that the company had maintained solid operations throughout the past year. As per the report, Huawei achieved CNY636.8 billion in revenue in the 2021 Annual Report, and CNY113.7 billion in net profits, an increase of 75.9% year on year. The company’s R&D expenditure reached CNY142.7 billion in 2021, representing 22.4% of its total revenue, and bringing its total R&D expenditure over the past 10 years to over CNY845 billion. Moving forward, the company also plans to continuously increase investment in R&D.

Huawei said, the Annual Report performance was overall in line with forecast, its carrier business remained stable, enterprise business experienced steady growth, and consumer business quickly expanded into new domains. In addition, the company embarked on a fast track of ecosystem development.”

Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s CFO, spoke at the event, “Despite a revenue decline in 2021, our ability to make a profit and generate cash flows is increasing, and we are more capable of dealing with uncertainty.” Thanks to the enhanced profitability of its major businesses, the company’s cash flow from operating activities dramatically increased in 2021, amounting to CNY59.7 billion. Its liability ratio also dropped to 57.8%, and its overall financial structure has become more resilient and flexible.

In 2021, Huawei’s carrier business generated CNY281.5 billion in revenue and helped carriers around the world deploy leading 5G networks. Third-party test results have found that 5G networks built by Huawei for customers in 13 countries, including Switzerland, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia, provide the best user experience. By working with carriers and partners, Huawei has signed more than 3,000 commercial contracts for industrial 5G applications. These kinds of 5G applications are currently seeing large-scale commercial use in sectors like manufacturing, mines, iron & steel plants, ports, and hospitals.

Thanks to continuing digital transformation trends, Huawei’s enterprise business also grew rapidly, generating CNY102.4 billion in revenue in 2021. In the past year, Huawei launched 11 scenario-based solutions for key sectors such as government, transportation, finance, energy, and manufacturing. The company also established multiple dedicated teams, including a Coal Mine Team, a Smart Road Team, and a Customs & Port Team, to combine resources in a way that more efficiently serves the needs of its customers.

Over 700 cities and 267 Fortune Global 500 companies have chosen Huawei as their digital transformation partner and Huawei now works with more than 6,000 service and operation partners around the world. In the Philippines, benefited from a new system consisting of mobile devices and AI, forest rangers can receive real-time alerts of sound to identify rainforest destruction Via a mobile app, so they can take action quickly, according to Jun Zhang, the Director of Huawei Asia Pacific Public Relations Department.

Huawei’s consumer business zeroed in on consumer wants and needs, further building out the global ecosystem for a smart, all-connected era, as part of the company’s Seamless AI Life strategy for consumers around the world. This business generated CNY243.4 billion in revenue in 2021 and continued to see steady sales growth in smart wearables, smart screens, true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds, and Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). In particular, the smart wearable and smart screen segments both saw 30%+ year-on-year growth. In total, HarmonyOS was used in over 220 million Huawei devices as of 2021, becoming the world’s fastest-growing mobile device operating system.

During the past year, Huawei also focused on building out its openEuler, MindSpore, and HarmonyOS ecosystems based on the principles of open collaboration and shared growth. Over eight million developers are currently using Huawei’s open platforms, open-source software, and development tools to explore new business scenarios and business models.

Simon Lin, the President of Huawei Asia Pacific stated, with a stable workforce, financial and business fundamentals, the highest net profit in history, and our continued efforts to globalize under pressure and increase R&D investment, Huawei’s unwavering business strategy, focused on connectivity and computing and rapidly developing new businesses including digital power and cloud, is perfectly aligned to drive the digital economy in the Asia Pacific.

The company will advance its journey of digitalization, intelligent transformation, and low carbon. Relying on talent, scientific research, and an innovative spirit, Huawei said will continuously increase investment to reshape the paradigms for fundamental theories, architecture, and software, and build our long-term competitiveness.

The Philippines will soon be able to go online via satellite thanks to the announcement by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that Space Exploration Technologies Corp., SpaceX is establishing its operations in the country.

SpaceX is scheduled to formally start operations in the Philippines during the last three months of the Duterte administration, according to DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Lopez recently met with Rebecca Hunter, SpaceX’s senior manager for government affairs, and Ryan Goodnight, SpaceX’s director of market access. Because SpaceX’s technologies are proprietary, the signing of the modified Public Service Act (PSA), which authorizes 100 percent foreign ownership of public services in the country, was a crucial component in the company’s choice to invest.

SpaceX is scheduled to formally start operations in the Philippines during the last three months of the Duterte administration, according to DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Lopez recently met with Rebecca Hunter, SpaceX’s senior manager for government affairs, and Ryan Goodnight, SpaceX’s director of market access. Because SpaceX’s technologies are proprietary, the signing of the modified Public Service Act (PSA), which authorizes 100 percent foreign ownership of public services in the country, was a crucial component in the company’s choice to invest.

SpaceX plans to use Starlink, a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network constellation with over 1,600 satellites currently in orbit, to deliver internet services in the Philippines. This will be useful in locations where traditional mobile and fiber internet are not readily available.

“Their solution will both augment and complement present broadband capabilities.” This would help micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs), as well as online learning, e-commerce, and finance, Lopez explained.