Palace to telcos: What have you done after Duterte caused faster approval of cell sites?

Malacañang on Tuesday asked telecommunications companies Smart and Globe to submit a report on the steps taken to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to improve their services before the end of the year.

Speaking at a news conference, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque urged the two companies to give updates on the construction of new cell sites, which are necessary to ensure expanded coverage.

“Ano naman po ang isusukli ninyo matapos kayong pagbigyan ng Presidente doon sa hinihiling ninyo na mas mapabilis iyong pag-approval ng mga telecom towers? Tingin ko naman siguro dahil nakuha na nila iyong mga approval, it’s a matter of installing the telecoms towers,” Roque said.

“I really want them to commit kung kailan sila magkakaroon nang mas mabuting serbisyo.”

Duterte in July threatened to shut down Smart and Globe if they failed to improve their services by December.

PLDT Inc. and its wireless arm Smart Communications Inc. said Friday they were rolling out an additional 2,000 cell sites next year as part of its initiative to further improve coverage and connectivity.

In a statement, PLDT-Smart said that since the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) issued a joint memorandum circular in August, the telco has secured close to 1,500 permits to build more cell sites.

The permits cover towers to be built in Metro Manila and in typhoon-impacted provinces like Albay, Aurora, Batangas, Bulacan, Cagayan, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Isabela, Laguna, Masbate, Quezon, Rizal, and Sorsogon, which were in the path of recent strong typhoons Rolly and Ulysses.

The permits also include the Luzon provinces of Abra, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Tarlac, and Zambales; Visayas provinces of Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Cebu, Iloilo, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Northern Samar and Southern Leyte; and Mindanao provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Cotabato (North Cotabato), Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Lanao Del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga del Norte.

In September, Globe announced it was embarking on a three-pronged network upgrade strategy on the heels of the government‘s call for telcos to improve internet services, especially at the time of the COVID-19 crisis when connectivity is a critical need.

The initiative seeks to improve the voice and data experience of its customers.

On Tuesday, Globe president Ernest Cu said it was looking to complete its “largest network upgrade” by 2021.

“As we target the completion of our network upgrades by 2021, expect a ‘first-world network’ primed to serve Filipinos today and in the future,” Globe president Ernest Cu said during the virtual “Wonderful World of Globe” event.

Third telco player DITO Telecommunity Corp., meanwhile, is expected to roll out commercial services in March 2021. -NB, GMA News