DITO banking on Marcos admin’s PPP push to reach 'challenging' areas

Third major telco DITO Telecommunity is banking on the Marcos administration’s initiative to revive public-private partnerships (PPP) for its plan to expand its services to “challenging" areas in the country.

"The Marcos admin has been pushing for PPP... It did announce that they would push for PPPs that are related to tourism. Let's just say that part of our conversations with some LGUs (local government units) is precisely on that front," DITO chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said, in a mix of English and Filipino, at a virtual press briefing on Thursday.

National Economic and Development Authority chief and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier said that the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would “reinvigorate, reexamine and bring back PPPs.”

Marcos would also prioritize the development of digital infrastructure as he stressed that the internet has become an essential part of Filipinos’ lives.

"If you look at DITO, it is a form of PPP," Tamano said, adding that the telco is now in "preliminary talks" with local chief executives for potential partnerships.

For his part, DITO chief technology officer Rodolfo Santiago said the company may have to pour in more investments and ask for the support of LGUs to reach remote or "challenging" areas. 

"We are talking to LGUs in these challenging areas on how we can partner to make it viable. As early as now, we are talking about whatever scheme we can explore... to really partner to provide telco services in these challenging areas," he said.

"Definitely, [the investment] will be higher and require some additional technologies like satellite technologies to provide the backhaul."

DITO, which launched commercially in March last year, surpassed 10 million subscribers as of July and is on track to hit its target of 12 million subscribers by the end of the year.

The company has already fired up about 5,500 towers nationwide.

DITO is mandated to cover 70% of the population this year as part of commitments to the government when it secured frequencies, license, and franchise as the third major telco player.

It is now present in more than 600 cities and municipalities. By the end of the year, DITO is targeting being commercially available in more than 840 areas nationwide. —VBL, GMA News