TWO more common tower providers are scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government in a bid to enter the Philippine market.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it will be signing MoUs with South Korea’s Shinheung Telecom Co. Ltd. and Filipino company Alt-Global Solutions, Inc. today (March 14).
The two companies will join 13 other firms that are eyeing to become providers of telecommunications infrastructure to network operators Smart Communications, Inc.; Globe Telecom, Inc. and incoming third telco Mislatel Consortium.
Last month, the DICT held a meeting with telcos and tower providers in a meeting to address questions on the common tower initiative of the government. The three telcos were asked to come up with a list of locations where they are planning to roll out towers this year.
DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. said in a text message on Wednesday they are “finalizing this (list) by the end of this month.”
The tower providers are expected to help the DICT in forming a revised common tower policy, which will differ from Presidential Adviser Ramon P. Jacinto’s draft last year that restricted the building of towers to two registered providers.
Mr. Rio said they are aiming to put out the new draft policy by the second quarter.
So far, 13 tower companies have signed MoUs with the DICT. These 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); J.S. Cruz Construction and Development, Inc.; and Desarrollos Terrestres (DT Towers).
The MoUs are valid for one year, and state that the DICT will assist the tower firms in securing regulatory permits once they seal a deal with telcos for installing cell sites. — Denise A. Valdez
