(Japanese Site)
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| Globe Telecom to Enhance Services With Help From Nokia
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April 13, 1998 (MANILA) -- Globe Telecom Inc. signed a contract with Nokia Corp. to purchase an Intelligent
Network system and a mobile switching center (MSC) for Globe Telecom's GSM network.
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Deliveries will start immediately, according to Globe Telecom. Nokia is a major supplier for the company's
GSM network.
Finland-based Nokia will provide Globe Telecom with an additional mobile switching center, which has a
capacity of 150,000 subscribers.
Nokia will expand the capacity of the company's existing mobile switching center in Manila, from 120,000 to
150,000 subscribers. It will supply a new home location register and a Nokia mobile Intelligent Network (IN)
solution to Globe Telecom.
Globe Telecom is using this set of solutions as a means to offer many innovative services to its GSM
customers.
"This is an important stage for us in our network development," said Manuel de los Santos, Globe Telecom's
senior vice president for mobile business.
"Capacity demands are increasing, which has led to our network expansion. And the selection of Nokia's IN
solution marks an exciting step forward for us in terms of service provisioning for our customers. Nokia's
proven capability to deliver solutions that are easy to integrate, fast and effectively, was the key factor
in our decision," he said.
"GSM operators such as Globe Telecom are moving toward the development of advanced service provisioning for
their customers," said Claus Karthe, managing director of Nokia Philippines Inc.
"The Nokia IN solution is an important tool for operators who must offer a wealth of new, value-added
services in order to remain competitive," he added.
Nokia's mobile Intelligent Network solution enables operators to quickly create and add new telephone
services to their networks. This means that they can better and more easily serve their customers by
tailoring services to specific markets as well as dramatically reduce the time required to get service from
the idea stage to that of a viable service for a mobile user.
Nokia has supplied GSM technology to 67 operators in 35 countries.
Globe Telecom is a joint venture between Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp. and Singapore Telecom
International.
Globe Telecom incurred a net loss of 870.2 million pesos (US$21.7 million) in 1997 on revenues of 2.63
billion pesos (US$66 million). Revenue growth in 1998 will be driven by an expanding subscriber base,
particularly for land lines, and the introduction of prepaid phone cards.
The company expects its number of fixed-line subscribers to reach 121,000 by year end, from around 54,000 at
the end of 1997. Its cellular phone subscribers are expected to increase to 156,000 this year from just above
97,000 in 1997.
(Margarita Roa, Asia BizTech Correspondent)
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