Smart to build 2,000 more cell sites in 2021

MANILA, Philippines — Smart Communications Inc., the wireless unit of telco giant PLDT Inc., said Friday it targets to build 2,000 new cell sites next year to boost its services and take advantage of reduced government red tape in securing permits.

"Our accelerated network expansion efforts will help us reach even the unserved and underserved areas in the country," Alfredo Panlilio, company president and chief executive, said in a statement.

At his penultimate State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte blasted incumbents Globe Telecom Inc. and PLDT for their supposed poor service and threatened to seize their assets if they don't shape up. 

The firebrand leader later redirected his anger toward local government units after finding out that they had been slow in processing telcos' applications for permits.

Since Duterte ordered LGUs to speed up the processing of telcos' applications in August, Smart said it has secured close to 1,500 permits to build more towers in Metro Manila and in the provinces.

Apart from this, Smart said it tapped six tower companies to build the initial batch of 180 to 200 common towers, pursuant to the government’s common tower policy.

To date, PLDT's fiber infrastructure now spans 395,000 kilometers nationwide. This also supports Smart's mobile networks, which covers 96% of the Philippine population.

The PLDT Group's investments in capital expenditures have totaled Php 432 billion from 2011 to September 2020. For this year, the company is hoping to spend at least P70 billion on investments. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral