Mislatel resolves key issues identified by oversight body

FILE: INQUIRY ON ENTRY OF THIRD TELCO PLAYER. Senator Grace Poe, (right inset), chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, together with Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, presides over the resumption of the Senate hearing on the entry of the third telecommunications player in the country, at the Senate Building in Pasay City on Thursday (Jan. 24, 2019). Also in photo are Dennis Uy (left), president and CEO of Udenna Corp.; Nicanor Escalante (2nd left), president and CEO of Mislatel; and Adel Tamano (back), vice president for corporate affairs of Mislatel. (Photo by Avito C. Dalan via PNA)

MANILA — The country’s new major telecommunications player, Mislatel Consortium, has resolved the four major concerns identified by the government oversight committee in its selection process, the head of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said on Thursday.

During the Senate hearing on the third telco player, DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said Mislatel was able to work out the key issues on the frequency spectrum; lowering of interconnection charges; utilizing the dark fiber assets of state-run National Transmission Corporation (Transco); and establishment of the common tower policy.

“There were four concerns that the oversight committee had when we were undergoing the selection process. We are glad to tell the body that all four of these concerns have been substantially addressed,” Rio said.

On the issue of providing more frequencies, Rio said Mislatel was able to add 5 megaHertz of the 3G frequencies, which puts the new telco provider ahead of its competitor Globe Telecom.

The interconnectivity cost for the new major player would also lessen as the National Telecommunications Commission came up with a memorandum circular that will bring down the rates to PHP0.50 from the current PHP2.50.

He noted that the new rate is considered to be one of the lowest in the ASEAN region.

He said Mislatel already signed a joint partnership with Transco for the use of their 2,200 dark fiber assets as its backbone.

The DICT chief said his department also opened the market for common tower providers through several memoranda of understanding.

“This common tower policy makes possible the entry of USD4.

4 billion investment for the construction, maintenance and operations of at least 50,000 common towers in the country,” Rio said.

The policy will allow the establishment of tower companies that will build and deploy cell sites and other facilities that will be leased to telco firms for the delivery of services to consumers.