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DITO Telecommunity Corp. claimed on Monday that it has built approximately 1,900 telecommunications towers as of December 1, increasing its confidence in meeting its March 2021 commercial launch target.
Dito’s managing director, Adel Tamano, said during a Senate committee hearing on Monday that his group is on track to launch its telecom services in the first quarter of next year, reporting certain milestones in network development.
Flexing their oversight powers, senators who sat on the Public Services Committee on Monday sought firm commitments from the third telco to meet them in a timely manner before they are implemented in 2021.
Sen. Grace Poe, whose committee reviews public franchise applications, said she was initially unimpressed. He indicated that the committee will conduct an additional review and asked the regulator of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) why it allowed the implementation to be postponed and if an independent auditor had been chosen, according to its contract, to conduct an evaluation early in the year. January.
The auditing firm RG Manabat was chosen, the senators were told, to verify full compliance with the telecommunications company’s promises.
“To be honest about it, your [Dito Telecom] The presentation was disappointing, “said Poe, reminding Dito officials that a franchise” is a privilege, not a right granted to them. “
The senator suggested that the franchise proponents also “provide details of the owners,” reminding them that “we gave them a chance. [so] I hope you don’t take it lightly. “
National security
The senator said the franchise review panel will hold yet another hearing on Dito focusing on “safety issues.”
“We hope to have a minimal discussion on security issues,” Poe said, adding that his panel considers cybersecurity “a separate issue.”
For his part, the National Security Advisor, Hermogenes Esperon, reminded everyone that “cyber security is not discussed openly … we cannot discuss it openly.”
Noting that Chinese companies, such as Dito’s 40 percent partner China Telecom, are “obliged to inform their government,” Senator Francis Pangilinan said he intends to “raise more questions about Dito’s franchise application. in a closed-door session. “
For his part, Tamano assured the firm’s willingness to “roll out next year”, projecting areas of “signal improvement” as soon as it begins operations in franchise areas. He said they will stick to their “time-bound” commitments in their government contract, especially the 37 percent coverage within the first year.
According to Tamano, Dito has also deployed nearly 12,000 kilometers of cable to support his tower construction initiative. It has also deployed more than 1,500 base stations at the end of October, including 5G radio equipment.
“These infrastructure achievements are more than enough to cover 37 percent of the population and offer speeds of a minimum of 27 Mbps,” he said.
Capital investment P50-B
Dito is investing P150 billion for his foray into the telecommunications industry. By 2021, it has scheduled more than P50 billion in capital expenditures to further expand its network and meet the commitments it made during the tender for the third telecommunications license.
The company led by Dennis A. Uy has pledged to spend P257 billion in capital outlays within the first five years of its operations to deliver an average speed of 55 Mbps to 84 percent of the nation’s population.
“Dito is very ready for the government audit on January 7, 2021 and for its commercial launch in March 2021 with at least 37 percent population coverage and minimum speeds of 27 Mbps,” said Tamano.
He also highlighted Dito’s initiatives to ensure that data processed through the Dito network is secure. Tamano said that Dito has met the 12 security requirements of the National Cybersecurity Plan.
“To show our commitment to national security, the Dito network operations center and the security operations center will open this week,” Tamano said.
Critics have singled out Dito for “possible cybersecurity threats” because his minority investor, China Telecom, is a Chinese state-owned company. China has been accused of intimidating the Philippines in its quest to claim ownership of the Western Philippine Sea. The United States has also flagged alleged security risks related to Chinese-made equipment and infrastructure.
Dito is seeking approval of his 25-year franchise from the Senate, after the House of Representatives passed his franchise bill in August. Its current franchise, which was awarded to the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company (Mislatel), will expire on April 24, 2023.
