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Globe has completed the first 5G video call in the Philippines, following engagement with AIS Thailand through its 5G mobile network.
Lasting more than three minutes, the call was made after the telecommunications giant received a technical call from AIS, when the mobile operator also tested its own 5G capabilities in Bangkok on 21 February. According to both parties, the call took place “without a glitch with zero lag”.
“It went very smoothly,” confirmed Hui Weng Cheong, president of AIS. “My appreciation for the support from the Globe team.”
AIS also officially acquired its new 5G spectrum on the same day the call was made to Globe, with the Thailand operator citing 5G as an “extremely powerful technology”.
Meanwhile, Alan Garchitorena - director of Technology Enablement and Services Planning at Globe - said the call demonstrates “solid proof” of the company’s readiness to leverage 5G technology in the Philippines.
“This technology will deliver a new era of digital use for augmented reality, virtual reality, the Internet of Things [IoT], industrial applications and much more in the Philippines," he added.
Globe launched its 5G fixed wireless access in June 2019, making Philippines the third country in Asia to deploy 5G technology, behind Japan and South Korea.
In January, Union Bank of the Philippines (UnionBank) launched a new smart branch leveraging 5G and IoT technologies in partnership with Globe Business.
Aligning with the enterprise arm of Globe Telecom, UnionBank deployed 5G-grade connectivity at its Dasmariñas branch in the province of Cavite - the first of its ARK 2.0 branches - in a bid to increase speed and bandwidth, underpinned by a more stable internet connection.
Claimed to be “twenty times faster than other networks available”, the roll-out of 5G will allow branch employees to connect 32 devices at the same time "without sacrificing performance".
“Excellent customer experience will always be an important driver to a company's growth and relevance,” said Dennis Omila, executive vice president and CIO of UnionBank, speaking at the time of the announcement. “This is the very reason why we at UnionBank constantly innovate and improve our services to ensure that we offer nothing but the best to our clients.
“Partnering with Globe for its revolutionary 5G network and connectivity is one way we can provide more seamless and efficient operations.”
