By Patrizia Paola C. Marcelo,
Reporter
GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. said the government’s plan to require telecommunications operators to lease cell sites from tower companies is likely to slow down, not hasten, the construction of more cell sites.
“The future towers, if we don’t build them, exclusivity should not be an issue. Now, what is difficult to implement is telcos cannot build their own towers. I don’t see how that actually hastens the progress of building connectivity and improving connectivity in this country. I think it just slows it down right over time,” Globe President and Chief Executive Officer Ernest L. Cu said during a press conference on Monday.
But Mr. Cu said they are open to sharing cell site towers with other telcos in the future.
“We’re very open. We’ve never been closed to sharing towers moving forward. Our own towers are very, very full of equipment given the large bandwidth… People always say we have lots of spectrum. We admit we have lots of spectrum, but the spectrum is required to deliver the capacity in a scenario where there is not enough cell sites,” the Globe official said.
The government announced last week its plan to require telecommunications companies to lease cell sites from a tower provider, saying this will provide better telecommunications services to the public and level the playing field with the entry of a new player.
Under the common tower policy, telcos will not be allowed to build their own towers, as what they have been doing. Telecommunications companies have been urging the government to rationalize the permitting process for establishing new cell sites, saying the process of securing permits takes around eight months.
Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs and Information Technology Communications Ramon P. Jacinto said the Philippines needs about 50,000 more cell towers for better coverage. The country currently has only 16,000.
The guidelines on the common tower policy will be rolled out next month, while agreements with companies are eyed by the last quarter of the year.
Meanwhile, Globe signed a partnership agreement with Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. (PSPC) to allow for the installation of new cell sites in some of its service stations. Fourteen Shell service stations, mostly along major thoroughfares, have already been identified as target areas for cell sites, which are estimated to cost P15 million each.
With the partnership, Globe GoWiFi hot spots will soon become available in select Shell retail stations. Shell will also offer the Globe GCash’s Scan-to-Pay facility.
