Globe Does Y2K Check for Roaming Services

December 8, 1999 PSE CIRCULAR FOR BROKERS NO. 3128-99 December 7, 1999 GLOBE DOES Y2K CHECK FOR ROAMING SERVICES GLOBE TELECOM announced that it has completed a successful testing of Year 2000 (Y2K) dates for its International Roaming service. The Y2K tests were conducted between GLOBE TELECOM and Telstra, a major cellular phone company and international roaming partner of Globe in Australia. In conducting the testing, Globe simulated the time zone difference between the Philippines and Australia, taking into consideration that the Year 2000 transition will be hitting the two countries two hours apart. The time difference meant that Globe Handyphone's roamers who are roaming in Australia will encounter the transition to the Year 2000 earlier than the rest of GLOBE TELECOM's network in the Philippines. Telstra's network will also experience the same time difference at the Year 2000 turnover when Telstra roamers in the Philippines use Globe's network during the critical date. The testing also sought to find out the effects of the date transition on call processing set-up, stability and termination. GLOBE TELECOM reported after the tests with Telstra that the roaming calls under Y2K conditions between the two were set-up and terminated without interruption or problems. LibLex Globe cited that the successful simulation with Telstra was the first inter-carrier Y2K test on live mobile elements. Thus far, the test is the only known Y2K roaming test to be conducted in the Asia Pacific on live network elements. LexLib In addition to its service continuity test with Telstra, Globe had also performed successful Y2K tests of billing its roaming services with six roaming partners, namely: Chunghwa (Taiwan), M1 (Singapore), SingTel (Singapore), Maxis (Malaysia), Smartone (Hongkong) and mobile satellite service provider Iridium. Globe adds that the Y2K roaming tests were specially significant as roaming takes into account several elements of the network, as well as mobile phone unit interaction with SIM cards. Previous to its roaming tests, GLOBE TELECOM conducted successful Y2K tests of Local, Cellular and NDD calling with PLDT, Smart, BayanTel and Digitel last May 1999, as well as testings of international calls with SingTel. prcd GLOBE TELECOM continues to conduct similar Y2K tests with other national and international carriers. Globe achieved Y2K-readiness last June 1999, within schedule of its Y2K program. Led by Ayala Corporation and Singapore Telecom International (STI), Globe Telecom is a leading telecommunications company in the Philippines and is the country's leading digital cellular operator. Having over 100 roaming partners in 47 countries at present, Globe Handyphone also has the largest International Roaming network among GSM operators in the Philippines. Globe is a full-service telecommunications company offering Globe Handyphone cellular mobile service, Globelines fixed telephone service, Globelink international access service, VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) service, Inter-Exchange Carrier service, International Private Leased (IPL) lines, Datafast Frame Relay, Value-Added Network (VANs) services, data services and G-Net Internet access.