Mislatel rollout hit by lack of franchise
Credit to Author: JORDEENE B. LAGARE| Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2019 16:25:06 +0000
The Mislatel consortium’s rollout of commercial services could be delayed as both houses of Congress — currently on a break for the mid-term elections — still have to reconcile their versions of the third telco’s franchise.
“They could not start [operating] because basically we could not give them the frequencies and the CPCN (certificate of public convenience and necessity) … their permit to operate as a telco until we get the approval of [the] bicam (bicameral conference committee),” acting Information and Communications Technology Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. told reporters on Monday.
Mislatel, which is composed of Dennis Uy-led Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics, Chinese partner China Telecommunications Corp. and Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. (whose franchise is supposed to be transferred to the consortium), has targeted a late 2020 rollout premised on the award of a CPCN next month.
Congress, however, is currently on recess and legislators will only return to work on May 20 before wrapping up the third regular session during the first week of June.
“Well, mag-uumpisa yung kanilang operations once na ibigay namin yung CPCN at yung frequencies. Doon mag-uumpisa yung one year na commitment nila (Their operations will commence once we award the CPCN and the frequencies. That will mark the beginning of their one-year commitment),” Rio said.
He explained that the House of Representatives and Senate resolutions approving the franchise transfer were differently worded, requiring the need for reconciliation by a bicameral committee.
Mislatel in January told the Senate that it would take 20 months from receipt of the CPCN for the rollout of commercial operations sometime in November 2020.
It pledged to cover 37.03 percent of the national population, deliver an average broadband speed of 27 megabits per second, and prioritize 17 cities and municipalities, including parts of Central Luzon, Calabarzon and the Ilocos region, during the first year of the rollout.
Mislatel spokesperson Adel Tamano said the firm remained confident of implementing the rollout plan despite the delayed franchise approval.
“With the prospect of the government’s common tower policy, we do not foresee a delay in our roll-out,” he said in a text message to The Manila Times.
Also affected by the delay is the 90-day requirement, which lapsed on Sunday, for Mislatel to submit post-qualification requirements such as a business plan and a final rollout blueprint.
Rio said Congress had opted to disregard the deadline as matters were now beyond the consortium’s control.
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