Growth of telco industry in private sector’s hand

A national broadband project is now on the pipeline, and Roque is confident that the issues that hounded a similar program in the past will not occur under the current administration. (Pexels Photo)

MANILA – The development of telecommunication services is better left in the care of the private sector as the latter could allow more space for adjustments in this rapid-changing world of technology, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Thursday.

A national broadband project is now on the pipeline, and Roque is confident that the issues that hounded a similar program in the past will not occur under the current administration.

But Roque said he has “serious questions” about whether the government leading the industry is the solution amid the fast-paced technological advancements.

“Dahil nga po sa bilis ng pagbago ng teknolohiya, mas mabuting nasa kamay nga po ng mga pribadong sector itong broadband network, dahil sila ay makaka-adjust. Samantalang kapag gobyerno ang naglagay niyan static (Due to fast change of technology, it is better if broadband network is handled by private sector because they can adjust. While if government, it’s static),” he said in a Palace briefing.

He also noted that there is a policy giving the private sector the freedom to lead the sector.

“Mayroon po tayong polisiya na pinasa ng kongreso na nagsasabi na talagang ang pag-unlad ng telecoms industry ay inilagay natin sa kamay ng mga pribadong kumpanya dahil tayo nga po ay nag-liberalized hindi lang po sa kuryente, kung hindi pati na rin sa telecoms (We have policy submitted to Congress which states that progress of telecoms industry is in the hands of private companies because we have liberalized not only power, but telecoms),” he said.

On government participation, Roque said he will leave the decision to the lawmakers.

The Senate had recently increased the government’s first-ever planned spending on telco infrastructure to PHP5.9 billion.

Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate committee on public services, said the move is to speed up the rollout of services in underprivileged areas “now that connectivity has become a basic necessity”.

According to National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) data, the Vietnamese government has invested USD820 million for internet development, Malaysia has invested USD233.6 million, Thailand has spent USD343 million, and Singapore has invested USD1.7 billion.