Both PLDT and Globe have been longing for the government to address the red tape when building new cell towers. And now, they are trying to address that with the new Common Tower Policy.
According to Ramon Jacinto, Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs and Information Technology, this will help the two telco giants and the incoming third player to build more communication towers nationwide by also reducing the cost of making one.
Currently, there are only 16,000 towers standing across the country. But if this new plan pushes through, the numbers can spike to 50,000 in just five years.
The government is in search of three to four foreign firms to invest in this venture. American Tower, one of the biggest names in this field, has already expressed their interest to become the common tower provider.
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A single common tower can accommodate three to four telcos. Thus, the new Common Tower Policy has a great potential of improving the overall signal coverage in the country. In addition, it can possibly make telcos’ services cheaper for the consumers.
The government targets to release the official guidelines of the policy by February. Meanwhile, the official deal with common tower providers is expected to be signed before the year ends.
Source: GMA News