LISTED FIRM Transpacific Broadband Group International, Inc. (TBGI) is planning to incorporate a subsidiary that will serve as a common tower provider, amid the government’s push for independent companies to build telecommunications infrastructure.
“In line with the Government pending policy on the Common Tower program, the Corporation intends to create a subsidiary for the preparation, consolidation, and deployment of 15,000 sites for its application as a common tower provider,” TBGI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange on Tuesday.
The subsidiary, which will be called Transpacific One Network, Inc. (TONI), is aiming to provide site acquisition services and leasing revenues to its would-be telco customers.
TBGI said it has already identified an initial 3,000 sites across the country where common towers may be built. It estimated a budget of around $100,000 for the construction of a tower on every site. Site acquisition is expected to cost between $7,000 to $10,000.
“[T]he Corporation, thru its subsidiary, is authorized to submit a proposal to the DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) as a common tower provider, and upon compliance of legal and financial requirements, is empowered to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DICT to be part of the pool of Common Tower Provider for the Philippines,” it said.
The DICT has already signed MoUs with five telco infrastructure providers to assist in their rollout of common towers, namely: ISOC Infrastructures, Inc.; ISON ECP Tower Pte. Ltd.; IHS Holding Ltd. (IHS Towers); edotco Group Sdn Bhd; and China Energy Equipment Co. Ltd.
The government is aiming to have an additional 50,000 towers on top of the existing 16,000, saying the creation of more towers will improve telecommunications services in the country. — Denise A. Valdez
