Uy’s telco commits ‘upgraded’ internet to municipality group
NEW telecommunications company DITO Telecommunity Corp. said it had forged an agreement with the organization of municipalities for the delivery of “fast and upgraded” internet services to their constituents.
“The League of Municipalities (LMP) signed with DITO Telecommunity, the third major telecommunications provider in the Philippines last January 10, 2019, a landmark agreement that provides a dedicated nationwide fiber network to directly connect the different municipalities of the country, the public areas of the respective barangays, which include schools and other key institutions, to deliver fast, upgraded, secure and reliable services to their constituents,” the China-backed firm said in a statement on Sunday.
DITO Chief Administrative Officer Adel A. Tamano said this partnership will allow municipal governments to provide “beyond the standard free WIFI hotspots” to their constituents.
“The effort significantly affords Filipinos even in the smallest of municipalities the advanced applications that can be driven through the private network such as direct video for conferencing or security, public broadcast exchange, e-Education, e-Medicine, e-Permits, Internet of Things, IP PBX, VoIP; among other things, to better live-up to the promise of delivering the kind of connectedness and community that Filipinos long for,” he explained.
The company, which aims to become a major industry player, recently signed agreements with its key contractor-partners and tower providers, China Energy Equipment Co. Ltd. and Filipino-Malaysian Consortium ZEAL Power Construction & Development Corp.
DITO had also said earlier that it is targeting to corner nearly a third of the market in two to three years.
DITO — which is owned by Dennis A. Uy’s Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. and China’s China Telecommunications Corp. — has a tight timeline to roll out its services to 37.03% of the country’s national population by July 9, 2020.
Within the one-year period, the company must also be able to deliver a minimum broadband speed of 27 megabits per second (Mbps). If it fails to meet these commitments, DITO’s certificate of public convenience and necessity and radio frequencies will be taken back by the government. — Arjay L. Balinbin
