Third telco still upbeat despite CPCN delay
Credit to Author: LISBET K. ESMAEL| Date: Wed, 10 Apr 2019 16:17:46 +0000
Although the fate of its franchise still hangs, the incoming challenger of dominant players Globe Telecom and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) Inc. remains optimistic its rollout plan will not be delayed.
Its spokesperson Adel Tamano on Wednesday said that while the government’s awarding of a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) to the consortium of Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. (Mislatel) continues to face delays, it would “not significantly affect our rollout.”
“We are doing the needed studies, technical evaluation and entering into memoranda of agreement with various partners to ensure a timely rollout,” he told The Manila Times.
Once Congress approves the request of the group’s franchise holder Mislatel to transfer controlling interest to partners, that would be the only time the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) could award the CPCN, allowing the telecommunications company to launch commercial operations in the local market.
Sought for updates, acting DICT head Eliseo Rio Jr. was bullish the franchise issue would be resolved after elections.
“[The] NTC (National Telecommunications Commission) already wrote the lower house on this and was assured that Congress will act on it when they return after election,” he said in a mobile message.
“NTC is seeking the formal approval of the lower house on the amendments done by the Senate to the house resolution 23 approving the franchise of Mislatel,” Rio added.
The consortium, which was declared as the provisional third telco player last November 2018, is promising up to 55 megabits per second (Mbps) of speed, covering 84.01 percent of cumulative coverage, with capital expenditures of P257 billion for five years.
Mislatel targets to begin its commercial operations by late 2020.
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