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Liyab's AoV, Enderr Seeded in SEA Games Team Sibol | Newsroom | Globe
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Liyab AoV Team, Liyab SC2’s Enderr Seeded in Esports National Team Pool Sibol for 2019 SEA Games
In a testament to their vast potential and in recognition of their superior skills, several members of Liyab Esports, an esports organization powered by Globe and Mineski, were chosen to form part of the national training pool for a chance to become part of Sibol, the official Philippine esports team for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in November.
Liyab standouts Kevin Kio “Gambit” Dizon, Jeremiah “1717” Camarillo, Jervan Lorenzo “Bents” Delos Santos, Lawrence Anthony “Rubixx” Gatmaitan and Miguel Klarenz “Miggie” Banaag were picked to be part of the training pool for Arena of Valor (AoV).
Veteran Caviar “Enderr” Acampado was also selected as one of the two possible medal hopefuls in StarCraft ll.
Aside from the six Liyab players, several other esports athletes were also drafted to form the training pool that will compete in the biennial games which is recognizing Esports games such as Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Tekken 7 and Hearthstone, along with AoV and StarCraft ll, as medal sports for the first time in its history.
“Being named to the national training pool alone is already a big honor to Team Liyab. It’s a glowing accomplishment to our boys who have come a long way from relative obscurity to now as potential SEA Games gold medalists,” Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO, says with pride.
Several other players can still qualify to join Sibol as long as they hurdle several qualifiers in the run-up to the 2019 Sea Games.
At least two players will represent the Philippines in Tekken 7, Hearthstone and StarCraft ll, while seven players will compose the team for Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Arena of Valor.
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Globe Asks LGUs: Ease Fees, Expedite Permits for Connectivity - Globe Newsroom
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Globe Appeals to LGUs to Ease Fees and Expedite Permits to Improve Connectivity
Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu appealed to LGUs to rationalize fees and expedite the processing of permits thereby enabling the industry to build the infrastructure needed to improve connectivity in the country. The appeal comes at the heels of his face-to-face meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang last July 30 to inform the president of the telco industry's challenges. Cu said, "Each year, we make massive investments in billions of pesos to make our network perform at par with other countries. However, we can only go as far as what our existing infrastructure can give. If we want robust connectivity, we really need to build more cell sites and roll out more fiber to homes. The current permitting process and fee structures simply do not allow us to do these." Cu added, "This is a time when all industry stakeholders need to work together for the benefit of the consuming public. Connectivity is now an essential need especially during this pandemic. Let's turn a new leaf and help enable the industry to build."
Cu met with President Duterte Thursday evening, which was included in the taped broadcast of the COVID-19 briefing in Malacañang, Friday, July 31. In the meeting, Cu sought the help of President Duterte regarding the debilitating process of getting permits to build cell sites and towers which takes at least eight months. The Globe CEO showed the president and other officials present at the meeting the numerous permits Globe needed to secure to build a cell site tower—29 to 35 permits in all.
This resulted in the President’s quick intervention by instructing his Cabinet officials to “take the most drastic measure you can find” to fast-track the processing of telco infrastructure permits. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año informed the President that the recently signed Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 01-2020 from concerned government agencies will make the issuance of permits a lot easier, with streamlining of permits to reduce processing time to a maximum of 20 days.
Globe welcomed the new development and response from the President, “We thank President Duterte for giving us the opportunity to present our predicament and for his swift action on our problem with tedious LGU permits for the construction of our cell sites. We are hopeful that we can get more cooperation from LGUs and HOAs. As Filipinos adapt to the new normal, having ample ICT infrastructure is particularly important to improve internet speed, increase coverage and capacity for data hungry customers. In addition, having many cell sites is critical to successfully roll out advanced technologies like 5G services in the country,” Cu said.
Globe recently announced its expansion plans in various provinces all over the Philippines to meet the growing demand for more connectivity and bring the digital experience to more Filipinos especially in the countryside. For the longest time, the telco industry’s bid to expand and put up needed broadband infrastructures have been slowed down if not totally prevented by permitting requirements imposed by LGUs as well as the opposition by hostile homeowners’ associations. This was further compounded by network build disruptions given the stringent restrictions under an enhanced community quarantine, which started to ease in June when construction activities were allowed to restart.
Congressman Jericho Nograles in a recent interview said LGUs do not allow cell site build-ups due to health hazards, which has not been substantiated with scientific documents or findings. Homeowners’ associations on the other hand disallow building of cell sites in their areas because they are unsightly.
Globe has earmarked USD 1.2 billion in capital expenses this year, a large percentage of which is dedicated to network and capacity building.
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Globe Leads PH 4th Industrial Revolution Readiness | Newsroom | Globe
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Globe Leads PH 4th Industrial Revolution Readiness
Globe's digital transformation over the last five years marked the beginning of many local industry innovations that are now changing the Philippines, paving the way for the Fourth Industrial Revolution or commonly known as IR 4.0.
Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said that the company enabled the new way of life of Filipinos by becoming the purveyor of digital lifestyle after its massive network transformation about a decade ago. “Globe will be at the forefront of innovation using advanced technologies that would help our nation move forward alongside its neighbors,” Cu added.
A study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) entitled "Preparing the Philippines for the Fourth Industrial Revolution" defined IR 4.0 as "the digital revolution with cyber-physical systems providing new mechanisms and allowing technology to be embedded within societies and even the human body.” IR 4.0 is a technological movement that will basically alter the way people live, work, and relate to one another.
“Globe's digital transformation enabled new industries to thrive in the country's digital economy, resulting in the high adoption rate of online shopping, ride-hailing, and mobile food delivery applications among Filipinos,” Cu said.
Cu revealed that Globe has gone beyond telco with major interests in venture capital funding for startups, financial technology, digital marketing solutions, and virtual healthcare.
“Kickstart Ventures for instance is now managing Ayala Group's new $150 million venture capital fund to support startups pursuing innovations along key technology areas in data and analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, automation, real estate, retail, transport, energy, water, health and wellness, and food,” Cu said.
“GCash, on the other hand, is shaping the financial technology landscape in the Philippines and playing a key role in the development of e-commerce in the country, which is needed to boost the digital economy,” Cu added. GCash has now 20 million registered users overtaking the total number of credit cardholders and over 63,000 partner merchants nationwide, making financial transactions easier for Filipinos.
According to the PIDS study, the First Industrial Revolution was the emergence of manufacturing processes spanning from 1760 to 1840 characterized largely by the emergence of mechanization, replacing agriculture with industry as the main engine of economic activity of societies. The Second Industrial Revolution was the industrialization brought about by the use of oil-powered internal combustion engines, electrical communication, electrification of the factory, and mass production. The Third Industrial Revolution is marked by the start of the Information Age dubbed as the Digital Revolution as most of the new processes were influenced by digital computers.
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Investments in Network Improved Services but Challenges Remain - Globe Newsroom
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Multi-billion Dollar Investments in Network Have Improved Services but Challenges Remain
We heed the call of the President to improve telco services. Service performance and increased consumer demand for data are the key reasons why we have been investing billions of dollars to upgrade and improve our network. This year Globe has earmarked 1.2 billion US dollars in capex, majority of which goes to network and capacity builds. These substantial investments are paying off as we experience marked service improvements. Today, the Globe network is running at 4G/LTE. Last year, we launched 5G for Globe At Home and soon we will be launching mobile 5G services in the country. Globally, we are being cited for having improved internet experience. Only recently, independent mobile analytics Open Signal ranked the Philippines as the 4th most improved country in mobile video experience. The ranking was included in its State of Mobile Network Experience in 2020 report. Although we have seen marked improvements, the industry is not without its challenges. The long drawn permitting process across LGUs, HOAs and national agencies including the DOH and CAAP have hampered cellsite builds and laying down of fiber to homes. We express our optimism that the recently signed Joint Memorandum Circular 01s.2020 spearheaded by the DICT with other national agencies to fast track builds of telco towers will finally lead the way to a more robust connectivity in the country and provide internet services to every Filipino.
During this time of the pandemic, Globe has actively supported public and private hospitals, quarantine facilities, and frontliners. We are working with the Department of Education to assist the sector through low cost data plans and devices as well as teacher training, online platforms and mental health support. Globe was able to provide over P1.3 billion in combined services and assistance package for COVID-19 benefitting customers through services and promos, monetary and in-kind donations.