DITO to offer broadband services in 2022

DITO Telecommunity Corp. said Tuesday it will be offering broadband internet services by next year as it will focus its initial rollout on mobile services.

“Minarapat namin na i-set up first ang mobile services. We believe this is ‘yung pinakakailangan natin at this time,” DITO chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said during state-run PTV’s Laging Handa briefing.

DITO will have its commercial rollout on March 8, 2021 in key areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.

“Ang balak namin, perhaps by next year, mago-offer na kami ng broadband services, ‘yung sa bahay,” Tamano said.

Emphasizing its readiness for its maiden commercial operations this month, the DITO official said that the telco has so far built 1,900 telecommunications towers or cell sites.

In its first year of operations, DITO has committed to cover 37% of population with a minimum average broadband speed of 27 megabits per second (Mbps).

While the company’s audit report found that its minimum average broadband speeds were at at 85.9 Mbps for 4G and 507.5 Mbps for 5G, Tamano said the company will be offering internet speeds within its commitment of 27 Mbps “to manage the public’s expectations.”

He added that DITO’s services will be available in Luzon and Metro Manila in the next couple of weeks after the commercial launch in the Visayas and Mindanao.

DITO, formerly Mislatel Consortium, was awarded a permit to operate as the third telecommunications player of the country in July 2019.

The consortium is made up of Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corporation, Udenna's subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Holdings Inc., and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation. -MDM, GMA News