NOW Telecom open to partner with Dito

MANILA, Philippines — NOW Telecom, an affiliate of publicly-listed NOW Corp., has expressed interest to partner with newcomer Dito Telecommunity Corp. as it welcomed the liberalization of the country’s telecom industry with the entry of a new player that hopes to provide better internet services.

NOW Telecom president Rodolfo Pantoja said the company is willing to entertain possible partnerships with other telecommunications companies, including Dito which is fresh from receiving its certificate of public convenience and necessity last Monday.

“We are always open to explore opportunities of partnership and collaboration with other players in the industry, to both local and foreign players. The same can be said to Dito Telecommunity. The decentralized gigabit era will inevitably force disruptive innovations in this industry. Specializing in a specific market niche and partnering with the right entities are both essential in delivering profitability,” Pantoja said.

The company said the entry of a new player should be able to bring consumers closer to seeing better internet services.

“We see the entry of Dito Telecommunity as a net positive for the industry. It provides a market signal that government is in the liberalization phase of the telecommunications industry. This will ultimately benefit the consumers as the increased competition will stimulate improvements in quality of service, increase in service coverage and availability,” Pantoja said.

NOW Telecom, which was able to renew its congressional franchise last year, is offering broadband internet access in Metro Manila, through a fixed wireless microwave transmissions network.

The company said the wireless microwave transmissions network enables it to provide guaranteed internet speeds of up to 2.40 gbps to its enterprise customers.