DICT: Selection of 3rd telco player may be extended to April

The selection of a third telco player may go beyond the end of March deadline, possibly by the middle of April, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

“It would be extended to make up for non-working days in February and March,” DICT officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said in a telephone interview.

“Most likely, early April,” he said.

Feb. 16 is a non-working day due to the Chinese New Year. There are also non-working days in March particularly, March 29, or Maundy Thursday, and March 30, or Good Friday.

“President Duterte would like the deadline to be end of March. But how can we have a bidding if last week of March is Holy Week? The holidays may cause the extension in April,” Rio said.

He said the government would announce the exact date for the deadline of submission of bids in due time.

Duterte earlier said the third telco player must enter the market and compete with existing players by the end of the first quarter.

Based on the timeline for the entry of a new major player, the government would be accepting bidding documents from participants on March 27, and by April 2, the new telco player should be entering the market.

The DICT has earlier asked the President to extend the March deadline for the submission of bids for the selection of a third telco player up to May, amid concerns raised by stakeholders on the schedule seen as too tight.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said on Tuesday the request was rejected.

“So we stick it out with the original timeframe of a third telecoms player by March of this year,” Roque said.

Rio said three groups led by the Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp., NOW Corp. and Converge ICT Solutions Inc. are expected to take part in the selection process.

According to guidelines from the DICT for the selection of the new telco player, the group with the highest committed investment for the first five years will be chosen and given frequencies to compete with existing players.

Rio said the third telco player would need to invest at least $3 billion to $4 billion in the next five years.

The final memorandum circular for the terms of reference for the assignment of new frequencies to the new telco player is expected to be released by Feb. 19.