NOW Telecom gets network extension

The NTC order prohibits NOW Telecom from sharing or co-using its frequency to other entity without first securing approval from the commission

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has extended the provisional authority (PA) of NOW Telecom Company Inc. to install, operate and maintain a nationwide mobile telecommunications system.

NOW over the weekend said the authority mandated that they infuse an additional capital of at least P1.9 billion based from the first two years capital expenditure of P6.3 billion in the submitted rollout plan.

It also required NOW to accelerate the installation of broadband data service in the suburban and rural areas and that in each of the phases of project implementation. It should strictly comply with the 70:30 ratio of urban to suburban and rural network rollout coverage.

The NTC order signed by commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba and deputy commissioners Edgardo Cabarios and Delilah Deles, meanwhile, prohibits NOW Telecom from sharing or co-using its frequency to other entity without first securing approval from the commission.

In extending NOW Telecom’s PA, the NTC said that based on the company’s financial position, its debt-to-equity ratio complies with the 70-30 requirement of the commission.

It said its total capital requirement for five years amounts to P15.9 billion and the company has to infuse at least 30 percent of total capex requirement for two years or in the amount of P1.89 billion.

Earlier, NOW Telecom disclosed that it plans to spend $713 million for its five-year 5G fixed wireless access business plan.

The company also aims to deploy the 5G FWA network in the National Capital Region and offer a broadband plan of up to 10 gigabit per second service.

Of the $713 million, around $152 million will be used in the first three years, mostly to acquire new 5G radio equipment.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PNA DIGITAL services and platforms became the primary means of transaction among Filipinos, where digital payments have become a necessity with the community quarantine still in effect in the country.