DICT mulls scrapping common tower policy

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)  may  scrap plans of issuing a common tower policy as the agency finds its release unnecessary at the moment.

Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary for operations Eliseo Rio sees no immediate need to come out with a common tower policy given that the government’s infrastructure initiative has already jumpstarted.

“This policy, it seems like there is no need for it anymore since the common tower program is running already. Even without a policy, it has started that is why I am saying we might not need it anymore,” Rio said.

“So we might not need this policy but instead, (we need) an executive order from the President mandating all local government units to make cell sites development of national interest so they must give their permits,” he said.

The government previously targeted to finalize and issue the tower sharing policy, which would serve as guidelines for tower providers and telcos, as early as November last year, but was later on moved to the first quarter this year.

The draft policy pushed by presidential adviser on economic affairs and information technology communications Ramon Jacinto met oppositions from tower providers, telcos, and other stakeholders as it tried to limit to a maximum of two the independent tower companies that will be registered by the NTC in the first four years of the program’s implementation.

It also prohibited telcos from building their own towers, as the deployment of all telecommunications towers shall be performed only by the NTC-registered tower companies, except when it is unable to do so despite the request from the telco operators.

With the delays encountered in finalizing the policy, the DICT published last May the rules on the so-called “accelerated roll-out of common towers,” which will be a proof of concept to serve as the basis of a more comprehensive rules and guidelines governing passive telecommunications infrastructure sharing.

The issuance of the rules last May, however, pushed back anew the anticipated release of the policy on telco infrastructure sharing by another two to three months, according to Rio.

Under the rules of the accelerated roll-out of common towers, some 2,500 sites, most of which are owned by the DICT and other government agencies, will serve as locations for common towers.

The sites are open to the 23 common tower providers which have previously signed a memorandum of understanding with the DICT, as long as they can secure a contract with any of the telcos.