DITO supportive of Konektadong Pinoy, eyes participation in IRR crafting

DITO Telecommunity Corporation, known as the telco duopoly disruptor, is backing the lapsing into law of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, which allows new data transmission players to operate without a legislative franchise or Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN).

At the sidelines of the telco’s Kaya DITO campaign launch in Taguig City, DITO Tel president and CEO Eric Alberto told reporters, “Obviously, we’re here to support it because of the [law’s] noble intentions.”

Likewise, DITO Tel chief revenue officer for Consumer Business Adel Tamano said, “DITO will support Konektadong Pinoy 100%,” noting that the law’s aim of opening the data or internet space for greater competition would be to “very very positive business-wise.”

Tamano said the company, itself, benefited from the government’s move to search for a new major player to open the telco industry for competition back in 2018, when the company—then Mislatel Consortium—won the competitive selection process.

While DITO Tel is supportive of the Konektadong Pinoy law, Alberto said the telco wants to participate, along with other players, in “the development and crafting of the details of the IRR [implementing rules and regulations].”

The DITO Tel chief said the company specifically wants the IRR of the new law to contain provisions ensuring new entrants will commit to “continued digital infrastructure pick up” as well as “cybersecurity and national security oversight of the government should not be neglected.”

“We should not allow unfettered entry without the supervision and oversight of government… We’d like to see clarity in those specifics as we go through… thresh out particulars on the IRR,” Alberto said.

Tamano also said that the IRR of the Konektadong Pinoy law should “specifically focus on ensuring security elements… and also to ensure high service levels.”

The proposed measure has drawn flak from some groups such as the Philippine Chamber of Telecommunications Operators (PCTO), made of the country’s leading telecommunications companies, and the Philippine Association of Private Telecommunications Companies (PAPTELCO).

The PCTO earlier said that while it supports the bill’s goal of expanding internet access across the country, the measure could lead to national security vulnerabilities, weaken regulatory oversight, and destabilize the telecommunications sector.

Pangilinan-led PLDT Inc. earlier said it is hoping that the measure would not be signed into law by Marcos, but should it be passed into law, it would have to go to courts and raise the issue of constitutionality.

Meanwhile, Ayala-led Globe Telecom has urged Marcos to return the measure to Congress for further refinement, ensuring that it fully delivers on its transformative objectives, as this could only be achieved with a level playing field across the industry.

In a statement following the lapsing into law of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, Globe Telecom general counsel Froilan Castelo said, “We shall work with the government on how we can make better the standards in the industry to safeguard the public.”

As a way forward, Globe Telecom said it is committed to engaging government and multi-sectoral stakeholders to ensure that the law advances its intended goals without compromising security, stability, or consumer welfare.

The measure has been backed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), saying that it would not allow deregulation at the expense of security or public interest.

Under the enrolled bill, foreign entities looking to enter the data transmission industry will be subject to existing Philippine laws including the Foreign Investments Act of 1991 and the Public Service Act, that provide that foreign participation can be reviewed for potential national security implications.

During the event, Tamano said DITO Tel has achieved 15 million subscribers to-date at 40% growth, has built a network of more than 7,300 cell sites, and saw its revenues grow by 40%. — BM, GMA Integrated News