Dito says securing permits for cell towers 'not as difficult as expected'

Dito Telecommunity Corp., backed by businessman Dennis Uy and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corp., on Wednesday said securing permits to put up cellular towers across the country was not as difficult as expected.

According to Dito chief administrative officer Adel Tamano, the company has been in close coordination with local government executives, which has sped up the rollout of towers.

"I would say that if it were not for the COVID situation, getting these permits have been not as difficult as we expected," he said in a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Tamano said it takes an average of about six months to build a tower, with the necessary permits ranging from 24 to 30 depending on the local government unit.

"We have had quite good interactions with different mayors of the cities that we are doing our rollout, and they have been very helpful," he said.

Dito Telecommunity Corporation, formerly Mislatel Consortium, was awarded its permit to operate as the third telecommunications player of the country on July 8, 2019.

The consortium is made up of Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corporation, Udenna's subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings Inc., and China Telecommunications Corp.

For its part, Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. said the company still spends up to nine months to build a tower.

"Unfortunately, it it still the same for Globe. We still experience about six to nine months to build a tower and the number of permits are still the same," he said.

Globe earlier filed a civil suit against a resident of the upscale Dasmariñas Village in Makati City for preventing the telco from constructing cell sites inside the subdivision. —KBK, GMA News