Third telco pick known by Sept

The government expects to select the third telco player by the end of September, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said.

“The oversight committee will meet this Friday to come up with a timeline. We are looking towards the end of September,” DICT acting secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. said in a text message Tuesday.

DICT chairs the oversight committee which counts the Department of Finance, the Office of the Executive Secretary and the national security adviser as members.

The committee was created to oversee the entry of a new telco player.

DICT earlier said the government would still need to resolve issues related to previously awarded frequency, the common tower policy, use of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ dark fiber to support the National Broadband Plan, and lower interconnection fees before it could release rules for the third telco player’s selection process.

The timeline for the selection process has been changed several times as the government has yet to finalize the terms of reference.

The Better Broadband Alliance (BBA), a coalition of citizens and stakeholders committed to supporting initiatives to bring better broadband services to the country, yesterday said the selection of a new telco player should not wait.

“Initiating the selection process at the earliest possible time will allow the NMP (new major player) to adapt to the environment sooner, even as the government works towards resolving long outstanding issues on spectrum and infrastructure,” BBA said.