What’s the deal with Globe’s HSPA+?

During the media launch of Globe’s Tonino Lamborghini Tattoo launch last week, I sat down with Peter Bithos (Head of Consumer Division) to talk more about the telco’s roll-out and their 10Mbps mobile internet offering.

Here are some of the key points we talked about that should help you decide when getting the “Tonino Lamborghini” postpaid plan:

• The HSPA+ network is initially rolled out in some key cities within Metro Manila. Globe will aggressively expand this network but at this point, only the more congested locations within the metro are the priority. In the coming months, they will roll out their HSPA+ network in major cities outside Metro Manila — like Cebu and Davao. They would not give specifics but if your location has heavy mobile internet traffic, they will be the first ones to get the network upgrades.
• To date — some areas of Marikina, Quezon City, Makati, Pasay, Las Pinas, Taguig and Manila have HSPA+ coverage. However, it’s not usually the entire city but some parts of the city so it’s possibel you are in Makati but is somewhere in the outskirts so you’re area is not covered.
• There are currently only two devices that are being offered by Globe that will work on their HSPA+ network — the Tonino Lamborghini Tattoo stick and the Samsung Galaxy S2 (which they will release on June 27).
• The Huawei E5, which Globe also offers as an alternative to the Tonino stick, can only go up to around 5Mbps so if you get the 10Mbps plan, you won’t maximize your allocation.
• If you already have an open-line Samsung Galaxy S2 and use a Globe SIM, you might also experience the HSPA+ speeds as long as you are within the coverage area. While the HSPA+ plans of up to 10Mbps are only being offered on post-paid accounts, prepaid users can also experience the HSPA+.
• 3rd-party manufacturers (like ZTE or Huawei for example) might also release unlocked devices which you can use with your postpaid (or even prepaid SIM) to access the HSPA+ network.
• The HSPA+ upgrade also helps the existing 3G network to be less congested, essentially allowing for better actual speeds or more capacity.
• Globe is rolling out an interactive map of the HSPA+ coverage within their Globe Concept Stores so you can see if your location is covered by their upgraded network before you sign up for any plan. They will also put this map on their website so everybody who’s interested can see and check it.

Globe would not share any timeline as to when the entire Metro Manila will be fully covered and upgraded to their HSPA+ network so I guess some people will resort to “wait and see” before deciding to jump in.