Third telco Dito targets 30% market share

Third telecommunications player Dito Telecommunity Corp. has a big target in its sights as it looks to secure nearly a third of the market in just the first few years of operations.

In a statement over the weekend, Dito said it is aiming to capture 30 percent of the market within its “first few years of operations” as part of the group’s commitment to provide world-class telecommunications services in the country.

Dito said it is in full swing with the roll out of its network.

As part of its continuing network roll out, the company has signed agreements with its newest key contractor-partners and tower providers, namely China

Energy Equipment Co. Ltd. and Filipino-Malaysian Consortium ZEAL Power Construction & Development Corp.

Dito chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said the new agreements with China Energy and ZEAL would allow the consortium to move faster on its commitment to the Filipino people and the government.

“We want the Filipino public to know that we are full steam ahead on our roll-out as the critical pieces are already in place, with the help of our partners,” Dito chief technology officer Boy Santiago said.

“The promising deals we have entered into are testament to Dito’s commitment to work with all likeminded parties who want nothing more than to deliver fast, affordable and safe internet connectivity that the Filipino people truly deserve,” he said.

Dito last month secured agreements with the group of politician Luis Chavit Singson and ABS-CBN-unit Sky Cable Corp. to help beef up its bid to provide world-class telco services in the country.

Dito’s agreement with LCS Holdings Inc. involves the lease of common towers which the latter will be putting up in key areas of the country, while the deal with Sky Cable includes the utilization of the latter’s unused fiber-optic cables within Metro Manila.

The consortium composed of state-owned China Telecom and Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp. has committed to increase basic internet speed to 55 mbps and cover 84 percent of the country’s population over a five-year period through a total of P257 billion investment.

In September, it announced that it is investing P20.5 billion to put up in Clark, Pampanga a data center which will hold operational departments, network operations center, servecall center, and regional center, as well as serve as the hub for its research and development in the telecommunications space.

As the country’s new major player, Dito is expected to break the so-called duopoly in the telco industry currently led by industry giants PLDT and Globe.