Cirtek forming consortium to seize opportunities in PHL broadband plan

Cirtek Holdings Philippines Corp. (CHPC) is forming a consortium to seize business opportunities once the National Broadband Plan is in place.

"The consortium aims to promote high quality broadband internet in the country," CHPC vice chairman and president Roberto Juanchito Dispo said in a briefing in Makati City on Wednesday.

The company is taking in the Pacific Wireless, a company 100 percent owned by Malaysian telco giant Maxi, and the Federation of Cable TV Operators in the Philippines as consortium partners.

Dispo noted US startup Cloud Mondo, which has developed a network management system used by Facebook, will also be part of the group.

"We want to apply that network management system for the broadband project of the Philippine government," he said.

Cirtek is will meet with the Department of Energy, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and National Transmission Corp., and Globe Telecom to discuss its plan on Friday.

"In the meeting, we will discuss how to harness the transmission lines ... using that to support communications like putting in antennas rather than creating separate cell sites, which is more expensive and high capex cost," Dispo noted.

In March, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the National Broadband Plan, which would cost the government between P77 billion to P200 billion.

The plan would require using the 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

CHPC executive vice president Michael Liu said the company will provide the local market with connectivity solutions.

"It's different from manufacturing and innovating products. It's more of connectivity solutions in the local scene in the Philippines using our technology and equipment," Liu said in the same briefing.

"We realized that all this value, all this technology, goes out of the Philippines. So why not offer it in the local space? That's why we are talking to Globe, DICT, DOE, and Transco," Liu added. — VDS, GMA News