PT&T brings in new president

Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PT&T), which is looking to become the country’s third telco player, is bringing in James Velasquez, an experienced leader in the information technology (IT) industry to serve as its new president and chief executive officer (CEO).

In a statement, PT&T said Velasquez, who was elected a member of its board of directors effective March 1, will become the company’s president and CEO.

Velasquez is replacing Benjamin Bitanga who has resigned from the post for personal reasons.

Prior to joining PT&T, Velasquez spent nearly three decades at IBM, working in various capacities including as president and country manager for IBM Philippines.

During his stint at IBM, he was responsible for business operations in the country and was able to lead the company to grow both domestic and global offshore services.

Velasquez graduated from the University of Santo Tomas with a degree in electronics and communications engineering.

Apart from Velasquez, PT&T also elected Renato Garcia as a member of its board. He will replace Gerardo de Leon, who has also resigned from the board.

Prior to being elected in PT&T’s board of directors, Garcia was heavily involved in the telecommunications industry and IT in various capacities for more than 40 years.

Velasquez and Garcia’s election to the board are considered vital to PT&T’s business strategy and future plans as it seeks to become the third major telco player in the country.

“We believe PT&T is in an ideal position to vie for the third telco slot given its technical expertise, solid track record and infrastructure to back it up,” Velasquez said.

This, as he said PT&T has operated as a full service telco in the wired and wireless space for over five decades and established the first national digital backbone in 1980.

The company also launched the very first broadband service in 2001 and held leadership in messaging.

In addition, PT&T holds a 25-year franchise which allows it to establish, maintain and operate both wired and wireless telecommunications systems for domestic and international communication in the country.

At present, it operates a new multi 10+ Gbps (gigabytes per second) broadband network across Metro Manila, Cebu, Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite-LagunaBatangas-Rizal-Quezon).

The existing, scalable network and infrastructure which spans over 1,000 km of pure fiber optic cables allows PT&T to meet the needs of customers in the Greater Manila area, northern and southern Luzon, as well as Cebu.

“PT&T plans on expanding its pure fiber footprint outside Metro Manila through its enterprise broadband offering, as well as service the residential market within this year. Targeting both the residential and business segments is a plan we are keen on executing regardless of the third telco player outcome,” Garcia said.

President Duterte said earlier he wants a new major telco player to enter the market to give customers another option and allow them to experience better services.

This, as there have been complaints of dropped calls and slow internet speeds.