PLDT-Smart welcomes common tower policy provision recognizing telco’s right to build own cell sites

Telecommunications giant PLDT Inc. and its wireless unit Smart Communications have welcomed a provision in the newly released guidelines governing shared telecommunications towers, which recognized telcos’ rights to build their own infrastructure.

“Initially, we welcome the provisions in those guidelines that say that telecoms operators will have the freedom also to set up their own towers in order to roll out their network,” PLDT-Smart spokesperson Ramon Isberto said during the Laging Handa public briefing Wednesday.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology has issued the Department Circular (DC) No. 008

The circular provides the guidelines on “Shared Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructure (PTTIs).”

Section 30 of the DC No. 008, states that the exercise of franchise privileges of mobile network operators to build and construct new PTTIs, as well as to improve, renovate, upgrade, retrofit, or update their old towers shall be covered in separate issuances.

Section 11 (a) mandated that all PTTIs built, improved, renovated, upgraded or retrofitted shall provide ample slots for all mobile network operators and the DICT to co-locate their antennas, transmitters, receivers, radio frequency modules and communication systems and other equipment.

While PLDT-Smart welcomed the provision recognizing telcos’ rights to build their own towers, the company reserved to comment on the entire policy pending a review of the its legal team.

“We just received this new guidelines and our legal team is going through it so I can’t give you a final response at this point in time... our legal team is still reviewing it and we will come up with a clearer more comprehensive position,” Isberto said.

He, however, emphasized that telcos are very keen to have its rights recognized “because what if we have a situation that we need to expand coverage in an area na wala pang common tower?”

The DICT has been working on a common tower policy since 2018.

It was originally envisioned to be finalized in the second quarter of 2019, but concerns on how many players should be accommodated has hampered the policy’s release.

Globe Telecom is yet to comment on the new common or shared telecommunications tower policy.—AOL, GMA News