Senate to hold hearing on 3rd telco’s entry

The Senate committee on public services is set to hold its first hearing on the Duterte administration’s move to allow the entry of a third telecommunications firm to improve digital services in the country on Monday.

Sen. Grace Poe, chair of the committee, said the “explanatory hearing” was aimed at paving the way for drafting legislation to govern the entry and operation of a third telco.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is expected to announce the new player by the end of the year.

Among those invited from the government are acting Secretary Eliseo Rio of the DICT; Gamaliel Cordoba, chairman of the National Telecommunications Commission; Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Emilio Aquino; Arsenio Balisacan, chairman of the Philippine Competition Commission; Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña; Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Caesar Dulay.

From the private sector, among those invited were Manuel Pangilinan, PLDT chairman and chief executive officer; Froilan Castelo, senior vice president of Globe Telecom and Dennis Anthony Uy, chief executive officer of Converge, one of five local firms reportedly seeking to be the third player in the country’s telecommunications industry.

Three foreign firms have also reportedly expressed interest to be the third telco.