Do you encounter the 4G+ sign when you’re in LTE data? It means that your phone is capable of carrying the 700MHz signal and can utilize the new network upgrade from telcos. Well, good news is that Globe Telecom is on-track with their target to upgrade their network, currently they just hit their target of 500 cell-sites are now equipped with LTE 700Mhz frequency.
Moto Z from Motorola is a flagship smartphone that is not capable of 700Mhz LTE frequency
What does LTE 700MHz do?
With the new 700MHz, you’re now connected to TWO bands which are 700MHz and either 1800 or 2100Mhz. This method is called carrier aggregation where you utilize two frequencies to receive and send data, it’s much better than using one frequency overall. Plus the lower the frequency, the more it can penetrate through walls, thus 700MHz is better than other frequencies for LTE as it’s the lowest frequency available now.
Do you feel the difference?
Well for starters, you need a 700MHz capable phone and over the past few months this has been the focus of local manufacturers like Cherry Mobile, O+, Cloudfone and even international brands to include into their lineup.
Now one of our friends in the ZenFone 3 Support is an avid fan of the new 700MHz LTE band, here is his speed test results while riding a bus from North to Ortigas on a work morning. As you can see a 700MHz enabled LTE can get you more or less an average of 20Mbps download and 10Mbps upload which is fairly great especially on a congested EDSA. That’s enough to watch Netflix or stream youtube videos without any problem.
In our case, our home in Marikina is now definitely covered by the new 700MHz frequency. It’s so good that is can even replace our DSL broadband line with a mere 1Mbps upload speed, it would be great as upload speed demand is getting bigger because of video content creators, fb live, instagram, snapchat streaming.
Aside from the 700MHz band, other frequencies were added like the 2600MHz at Metro Cebu and Metro Davao to improve LTE as well. Overall Globe aims to deploy 4,500 multi-band cell sites around the Philippines which will cover 95% of cities and municipalities.
Great job in improving the state of internet in less than a year, we hope this movement will stay consistent and let the local government see the fruits of your labor. One thing Globe ask the Government is to ease the process and remove the red tape in putting up cell-sites as this is the biggest hindrance in having faster internet.
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