A LATIN American (LatAm) firm is joining the growing pool of common tower providers that the government is committing to assist in regulatory compliance to operate in the country.
Desarrollos Terrestres (DT Towers) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday to join 12 other tower firms that are keen on entering the common tower business in the country.
On its website, DT Towers said it has operations in Colombia, Peru, Central America and Argentina where it provides infrastructure needs to mobile companies and project developers.
Through the MoU, the DICT will provide the company with assistance in securing government requirements such as regulatory permits, on the condition that the firm must sign deals with mobile operators indicating an order for towers.
Aside from DT Towers, the other 12 firms that have already signed MoUs with the DICT are: ISOC Infrastructures, Inc.; ISON ECP Tower Pte. Ltd.; IHS Holding Ltd. (IHS Towers); edotco Group Sdn Bhd; China Energy Equipment Co. Ltd.; RT Telecom Sdn Bhd.; Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; MGS Construction, Inc.; Frontier Tower Associates Management Pte. Ltd.; the consortium of Global Networks, Inc. (GNI) and JTower, Inc.; American Tower Corp. (ATC); and J.S. Cruz Construction and Development, Inc.
DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. had previously said that even with the expanding number of tower firms with MoUs, he expects this would eventually shrink next year as the market may not be able to accommodate all.
“We still don’t know as of now if that is more than what the industry can accommodate, but definitely this exercise will give us indicators,” he said in a press briefing last week, noting he will let “market forces decide” which tower firms will survive.
The MoU prepared by the DICT is valid for a year, and is expected to help shape the revised common tower policy that the agency is preparing to release by the second quarter.
So far, mobile operators Globe Telecom, Inc., Smart Communications, Inc. and the incoming third telco Mislatel Consortium have all expressed support for the common tower initiative of the government. — Denise A. Valdez
