PLDT seeks access to 300 sites

Amid COVID-19, our services have become essential to our countrymen. Many of our customers have been affected by the pandemic and the lockdowns, and we are here to help them get back on their feet by making sure that our quality services are always available to them

Dominant player Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. is seeking access to more than 300 sites for installations and repairs to provide quality and reliable services to the public.

In the letter addressed to the Departments of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Interior and Local Government (DILG), PLDT-Smart identified inaccessible areas that need better connectivity.

“The PLDT Group would like to respectfully appeal to the DICT and DILG to direct local government units and other concerned sectors to enjoin their immediate cooperation in granting the PLDT Group access to its facilities within their respective areas to conduct critical works,” the letter read.

Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart president and CEO and PLDT chief revenue officer, said the restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic have impacted the PLDT Group’s performance of critical activities such as service restoration, maintenance, installation works, capacity expansion, replacement and upgrade of critical facilities and other urgent work.

“Amid COVID-19, our services have become essential to our countrymen. Many of our customers have been affected by the pandemic and the lockdowns, and we are here to help them get back on their feet by making sure that our quality services are always available to them,” Panlilio said.

“We can only do this if we can continue to broaden and improve our network infrastructure,” he added.

Panlilio said towers are but one portion of PLDT-Smart’s integrated network, which also includes 360,000 kilometers of fiber infrastructure, around 10,000 macros, and micro-cell sites, and over 20,000 LTE base stations, in addition to data centers and partners for international capacity.

“That’s the kind of large-scale network that you would need to build to offer a competitive service,” he said.

The continuing nationwide network improvement program is part of PLDT and Smart’s sustained capital expenditures on their networks, with PLDT and Smart having already invested some P260 billion from 2015 to 2019.

Amid the regained momentum of the company’s network rollout efforts following the easing of lockdown restrictions, PLDT leveled up its target capital expenditures back up to about P70 billion this year.