Mislatel Consortium eyes NGCP’s fiber optic facilities

Mislatel Consortium is eyeing the possibility of using the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) fiber optic facilities in launching its telecommunications service as the third telco.

NGCP operates the country’s power transmission grid.

Mislatel said it signed a memorandum of understanding with NGCP on the benefits of using the fiber optic cables that run along the transmission grid.

“The recently held MOU signing signified Udenna’s intention to conduct joint studies to determine the feasibility of the consortium’s use of NGCP’s fiber optic facilities,” said Udenna Corp.

“This is in line with the consortium’s resolve to achieve its committed level of speed and coverage as the New Major Player (NMP) in the Philippine telecommunications industry,” it added.

Udenna Corp., its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., state-owned China Telecommunications Corp., and Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. Inc. make up Mislatel Consortium.

It was officially declared as the New Major Player by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) last November 19.

Mislatel committed a nationwide coverage of 84.01 percent, a minimum speed of 27 megabits per second (Mbps), and capital and operating expenditures of P150 billion in its first year of operations.

The NGCP consortium holds a 25-year concession contract and a 50-year franchise to operate the power transmission network. It comprises Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp., led by Henry Sy Jr., Calaca High Power Corporation, led by Robert Coyiuto Jr., and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) as technical partner.

It is charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s state-owned power grid—an interconnected system that transmits gigawatts of power at thousands of volts from where it is made to where it is needed. —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VDS, GMA News