DPWH urged to require telco space in buildings

MANILA, Philippines — Telco-to-tech giant Globe Telecom Inc. has urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to make telco utilities a necessity in the ongoing review of the country’s building regulations.

In a statement, Globe president and CEO Carl Raymond Cruz said the telco supports the DPWH in efforts to revise the National Building Code of the Philippines for the first time since 2005.

Globe wants the DPWH to consider network assets, such as fiber cables, as necessary to building design, saying this would speed up telco expansion in future developments.

Telco providers currently pay lease to property developers to place their connectivity assets inside a building. If Globe’s proposal is heeded, the National Building Code will mandate developers to allocate space for telco properties in their projects.

Cruz said such an amendment would parallel global efforts to make connectivity the fifth utility, next to water, electricity, sanitation and transport. He underscored the importance of connectivity at time when every transaction is going online, from education to payments.

“We support government efforts to update the National Building Code and we are optimistic that connectivity will be considered a standard utility in how buildings are designed and constructed,” Cruz said.

“This will also help the telco industry maximize investments for expansion and increase capacity instead of paying lease or re-doing building structures just to incorporate in-building solutions,” he added.

If the code embraces connectivity assets as essential, Cruz guaranteed that future developments for commercial and residential use would come with high-speed internet.

For Globe, it plans to use the measure to install fiber optics and in-building solutions in projects before they are built. Cruz said the code might be outdated now given that it was last updated in 2005, when the internet was not yet as crucial to living as it is today.

The DPWH, led by Secretary Vince Dizon, initiated a fresh review of the country’s building code to reflect changes in construction practices and urban development. Globe sees this as a window to incorporate the public-private push for a digital-first society in property development.

In April, Dizon rearranged the National Building Code Review Committee, instructing it to study new standards that must be introduced into the code that was last revised more than two decades ago.

Globe has been insistent on its policy proposal to make telco assets part of the building standards to ensure that future residents would be given internet access.