Mindanaotoday.com | Globe, property giants, lawmaker partner for built-in broadband to future-proof homes
LEADING digital solutions group Globe, several of the country’s major builders and a lawmaker championing wider ICT access are pushing for greater adoption of built-in connectivity in developments across the country.
These stakeholders are saying in one voice that internet access should be a basic provision like water and power.
At Globe’s RISE to the Next Level event last Monday, July 11, top executives from Globe and property developers ASEANA Holdings Inc., Cebu Landmasters Inc., Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC), and the Victor Consunji Development Corp. (VCDC), talked about their shared goal of providing internet-ready homes for the customers’ benefit and aligned to the digital age.
Isabela 6th District Representative Faustino “Inno” A. Dy V, meanwhile, cited how equitable connectivity is a shared responsibility between government and the private sector, as he vowed to push passage of the bill allowing telcos to build infrastructure in private developments to enable further expansion of internet access in the country.
“Connectivity is a basic requirement of buyers that can be a differentiator for the property business. What we envision is when a customer steps into a property, he is ready to connect just like electricity and water are readily available. And it’s great we’ve gotten this far in terms of our partnerships, because like Globe, they are also customer-centric. We are no longer just talking to a blank wall,” said Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu.
“We’ve spoken to many blank walls in the past. Today I’m glad these guys are blazing the trail,” said Cu at a fireside chat with executives of the four major development firms.
Cu said this is part of the Globe Group’s commitment to empower the Philippines with digital solutions, citing how progress “can be attained if we continue to evolve our systems and processes in a digital manner.”
Globe has been pursuing innovative ways to provide connectivity across the country as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which foster innovation and infrastructure as drivers of economic development.
Michelle Ora, Globe Head of Site Lifecycle Management Services, asserted how Internet connectivity should be a fundamental provision in the home.
“We need to treat connectivity like any other utility. We’d like to persuade all other property developers to change their mindset and see the importance of connectivity. We are glad that more developers are signing up with us to turn this into reality. We believe this is what customers need,” Ora said at the event, Globe’s first on-ground gathering with builders since the pandemic.
To date, Globe has fitted out almost 100K units with built-in broadband across almost 200 developments, making connectivity instantly available to owners and tenants.
For Globe’s partner developers, built-in connectivity makes good business sense. This also comes timely as the country’s property market has proven to be a bright spot in the pandemic-dragged economy, with property prices holding stable in the last 30 months, said David Leechiu, CEO of Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc. (PR)
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