DICT targets new common tower policy by 2nd quarter

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it is targeting the drafting of a revised common tower policy by the second quarter of this year.

DICT Assistant Secretary Alan A. Silor said in a briefing on Monday that the government continues to develop the draft and may release it soon.

“The policy should be out as soon as possible. We are trying second quarter of this year,” he said.

Last year, Presidential Adviser Ramon P. Jacinto presented a draft common tower policy which restricted the number of cell site builders to two registered tower providers.

Stakeholders objected to Mr. Jacinto’s draft, which led the DICT to put the policy on hold and sign memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with interested common tower companies in the meantime. The MoUs promised the DICT’s aid in obtaining permits for tower construction as the prospective providers solicit business from telecom firms.

On Monday, the DICT called a meeting of incumbent telcos Globe Telecom, Inc., Smart Communications, Inc. and the third player, Mislatel Consortium, together with the eight tower providers that have signed MoUs with the government.

DICT Acting Secretary Eliseo M. Rio, Jr. said the telcos and tower providers support amendments to the common tower policy, with the parties given two weeks to submit their preferred locations for towers and the number of cell sites they would like to be set up to aid in their planning.

“Today (Monday) we had the telcos meet with the tower companies, and there is some synergy coming in,” he said. “We will have 15 days for the telcos and DICT to come up with the number of cell sites or towers that they would like to put up this year.”

Mr. Rio said after the list of preferred locations and cell site numbers is submitted, the telcos may then “come up with their tenders” for the tower providers.

So far, the DICT had signed MoUs with eight tower companies: ISOC Infrastructures, Inc.; ISON ECP Tower Pte. Ltd.; IHS Holding Ltd. (IHS Towers); edotco Group Sdn Bhd; China Energy Equipment Co. Ltd.; RT Telecom Sdn Bhd.; Aboitiz InfraCapital, Inc.; and MGS Construction, Inc.

Today, the DICT is also scheduled to sign agreements with three more tower companies: Frontier Tower Associates Management Pte. Ltd.; GNI-JTower Inc. Consortium; and American Tower Corp. —