3 more foreign tower companies entering Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Three international tower companies are set to ink separate agreements with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in their quest to become common telecommunications infrastructure providers in the country.

The DICT is slated to sign today memoranda of understanding (MOU) with Nigeria’s IHS Towers and Malaysia’s Edotco Towers.

For tomorrow, another MOU will be signed between the DICT and China Energy Engineering Group.

The agreements are expected to be similar to the MOUs signed by the DICT late last year with ISOC Infrastructures Inc., a company chaired by Megawide Construction Corp. co-founder Michael Cosiquien, and ISON ECP Tower Singapore Pte. Ltd. last week.

The respective MOUs between the DICT and tower firms’ ISON ECP Tower and ISOC Infrastructures are conditioned upon the companies securing an agreement with at least one telecommunications operator in the country which clearly states that such telco operator would avail of the services or make use of their common towers.

Should the tower firms do so, DICT will then enter into an agreement with them in which the government agency will facilitate and extend full assistance to the company in complying with legal, regulatory and administrative requirements for their common tower roll out plan.

The DICT has decided to open up the local market to all interested common cellular tower builders as long as they are able to secure contracts with telecommunications companies.

The move is opposed to the proposal from presidential adviser on economic affairs and information technology communications Ramon Jacinto under the draft common tower policy to limit to just two the number of accredited common telecommunications infrastructure companies in the country.

Jacinto, who is keen on keeping the two accredited tower companies limit, earlier said the final guidelines for the common tower policy would be issued by his office within the first quarter.