Para pabilisin ang ICT infra: Globe lumagda ng kasunduan sa ISOC, EDOTCO

PUMASOK ang Globe Telecom sa isang tripartite agreement sa ISOC Infrastructure Inc. at Malaysia-based tower giant edotco Group Sdn. Bhd., upang maging unang  telco na sumuporta sa common tower initiative ng Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

Ayon kay Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu, ang kompanya ay kumikilos tungo sa pagpapahusay ng ICT infrastructure sa Filipinas sa pagiging unang mobile operator na sumuporta sa common tower initiative ng pamahalaan.

“ICT infrastructure is the foundation of a highly-connected digital economy. While we have made significant improvements on the quality of internet experience, there is still a large gap to fill so we can be at par with our neighbors in terms of infrastructure,” sabi ni Cu.

Idinagdag ni Cu, ang ISOC at edotco, na mga unang towercos na humingi ng vendor accreditation sa Globe, ay magtatayo ng inisyal na 150 sites para sa kompanya.

“The building and deployment of cellular towers in the country are critical if we hope to change the internet experience of our customers,” aniya.

Ang DICT ay lumagda ng kasunduan sa 23 tower companies, sa pangunguna ng ISOC at edotco.

Sa kabila ng mga kasunduan, wala pang ipinalalabas na common tower policy para sa towercos sa bansa.

Kinilala ni Michael Cosiquien, chairman ng ISOC Infrastructure, Inc., ang mahalagang kaganapan ng paglagda ng MOU sa Globe.

“Today marks the beginning of great things. What was once a concept is made concrete, and together with edotco, we are grateful for the leadership of the government and the support of Globe in finally making this a reality,” ani Consiquien.

“ISOC and edotco are committed to helping provide the Filipino people the information highway they deserve with the common tower initiative,” dagdag niya.

Nagpahayag si Suresh Sidhu, CEO ng edotco Group Sdn Bhd, ng pag-asa sa desisyon ng DICT na buksan ang merkado at bigyan ng akreditasyon ang independent tower companies.

“Our efforts in the Philippines are motivated by the clear opportunity to reshape the tele­communications landscape and as an independent tower company, we are in the right position to facilitate and manage these advancements,” sabi ni Sidhu.

Dagdag ni Sidhu, ang infrastructure sharing ay napatunayan nang nakatutulong sa mobile network operators na magpokus sa kanilang core business at service offerings sa pagbawas sa  cost pressure ng pagtatayo at pagmamantine ng towers.

“We have partnered with governments, regulators, and operators in all the countries in which we are present and have a wealth of best practices that we hope to implement here. Our focus is not merely addressing digital gaps today but on building shareable infrastructure for the future, creating the right environment for the nation’s digital transformation aspirations.”

Target ng DICT na magtayo ng 50,000 bagong common towers sa buong bansa sa susunod na pito hanggang 10 taon.

Inianunsiyo rin ng ahensiya ang plano nitong pabilisin ang pagtatayo ng 2,500 common towers sa properties na pag-aari ng gobyerno.

Gayonman ay hinihiling ng telco stakeholders ang agad na pagpapalabas sa long-delayed Common Tower Policy.