Innove urges NTC to enforce broadband service circular

MANILA, Philippines - Innove Communications, Inc. has asked the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to enforce a six-year-old circular that will allow the company to offer broadband service at the Fort Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. In a filing, the Globe Telecom, Inc. unit also said it was not open to a compromise proposed by rival Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), in connection with the dispute. Innove also asked the NTC to bar the PLDT group from doing anything that would keep Innove from offering services in the area. The NTC circular declared all IT hubs, including the Bonifacio Global City, as free zones, where all local telecommunications firms may operate. The disputed area houses several business process outsourcing firms, which rely heavily on high-speed networks. PLDT and unit Bonifacio Communications insist it has exlusive rights over the area under a contract with the Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. It noted that Globe itself has exclusive arrangements within Ayala-owned residential and commercial properties, accusing its rival of double standards. Last month, PLDT said it was open to a compromise, where Innove will pay it so it can enter the area. But Innove said paying PLDT for interconnection fees will mean affirming its claim to exclusivity. "By saying we should interconnect with PLDT to serve the Bonifacio Global City, Bonifacio Communications is simply trying to enforce PLDT’s exclusive right to serve the [area] and serve as the troll at the toll gate," Innove said. "Customers are asking for Globe facilities in addition to PLDT’s and not just PLDT’s lines," the company said. — Paolo Luis G. Montecillo, BusinessWorld