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The government will consult with Globe, Smart and Mislatel as it looks to step up investment in its telecoms infrastructure
The Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has revealed plans to install up to 50,000 telecoms towers across the country, through a series of partnerships with the country’s major telcos.
The DICT said that it wants to sign a series of Memoranda of Understanding with the country’s mobile network operators and infrastructure owners, to facilitate joint investment in the common towers. The DICT said that the MoU would go some way to achieving the government’s stated aim of 50,000 new towers in the country.
"In the said MOU, the DICT and NTC will identify sites where common towers are recommended to be built, with a target of 3,000 sites on year 1 and gradually increasing it to 10,000 sites from year 5 to year 7. Telcos will also coordinate with the two parties in the identification of priority sites,” a DICT spokesperson said.
The DICT is in the process of drafting a revised common towers policy, which will look at strategies for improving rural connectivity in the Southeast Asian nation. By involving all three of the country’s mobile network operators in the initiative, the DICT hopes to avoid tower duplication and maximise geographic coverage.
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