Telcos to conduct network upgrades, tests

PLDT and Globe Telecom said they would need to undergo network boosters and tests to guarantee seamless implementation of the one-year validity of prepaid loads.

issued separate statements on Friday saying they would comply with the mandate of the government to extend the validity of prepaid loads to one year.

The extended validity is provided under Memorandum Circular No. 05- 12- 2017 issued jointly by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) in December last year.

DICT officer- in- charge Eliseo Rio said in a Facebook post on Friday that the agency would grant the two telcos a six-month extension to adjust their systems so as “to prevent their systems from the possibility of crashing if changes are made abruptly.”

Smart Public Affairs head Ramon Isberto welcomed the extension period.

“This provides us more time to implement the extensive recon technology) and other support sys- tems, and to conduct the needed tests, in order to ensure troublefree implementation of the new expiry period,” he said.

Meanwhile, Globe general counsel Vicente Froilan Castelo said the Ayala-led telco would need time to prepare changes and upgrades to its systems to avoid disruption of services to its 57 million prepaid customers.

Castelo said that in order to comply with the memorandum circular, Globe will need to build more capacity and purchase additional licenses to accommodate the change.

“This will include purchase of li- censes and software programming by third party vendors,” he said.

He added that multiple system tests were needed “to minimize any adverse impact to customers when we implement changes and expand the capacity of several information technology systems.”

“To fully implement the change, we will need additional number series from the NTC,” Castelo said.

PLDT’s Sun, TNT, and Smart, and Globe said their prepaid loads with denominations of P300 and above will carry a oneyear expiration period starting January 5.