DICT finalizing common telco tower policy

by Philippine Daily Inquirer, Mar 4, 2019

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is in the final stages of preparing the common tower policy for eventual affirmation and signing.

The policy is a significant move that will enable market-driven forces to improve telecommunication services but also to rationalize the telecom industry to the point of yielding sizable economic benefits for the country.

The top of the line impact on the country’s economy is the huge investments that this policy will generate. Gross income is estimated to reach $4 billion or about P200 billion.

These investments will also provide employment to thousands of Filipinos.

50,000 towers

An estimated 10 to 25 million workers with different skills will be needed to build 50,000 towers over the years based on about 200 to 500 workers per tower.

Acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. is positive about the rationalization of the telcos, which will accrue to the benefit of millions of subscribers.

He expects the savings of these telcos from the shared facilities to be used instead to improve services to their subscribers.

The telcos will just lease the shared towers and what they saved should be reallocated to their capital expenditures, he said.

Local government units that will host the towers will get additional revenues from the issuance of permits and payment of various taxes.

The construction of 5,000 towers annually over the next seven to 10 years to reach the target of 50,000 towers is expected to make the Philippines’ broadband services at par with those of other countries.