PLDT deactivates 185 telco towers

Telco giant PLDT Inc. will complete the decommissioning of 185 telco towers by the end of this month, phasing out an eight-year old internet service and promoting the shift to high-speed fiber.

PLDT will deactivate this month 185 towers that provide time division duplex long-term evolution (TD-LTE) coverage for customers subscribed to PLDT’s Home Ultera.

As such, more than 3,000 users of Home Ultera have to migrate to a postpaid wireless service for the home for improved internet service at no extra cost.

Likewise, Home Ultera subscribers can choose to move to high-speed fixed fiber plans for their service migration. PLDT said customers who will transfer to Home Fiber will get their installation and modem free of charge.

The telco provider said that the migration initiative covers 58 areas nationwide, including Metro Manila. Urban areas in Visayas and Mindanao, such as Cebu and Davao, are also affected, as well as provinces surrounding the capital Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

PLDT decommissioned the telco facilities in line with the tower sale that the firm signed in April with two international tower operators for the release of 5,907 towers.

PLDT generated P77 billion from the transaction, making it the largest purchase of assets in the Philippines by foreign investors given that the towers were sold above book value.

On average, PLDT said the towers were monetized at P13 million per unit that the firm can use for its network expansion, especially investments in LTE and 5G.

In 2014, PLDT launched the Home Ultera to mark the country’s first foray in TD-LTE technology at that time. The Pangilinan-led telco spent at least P2 billion to develop the system that powers up Home Ultera to deliver internet service to the 58 areas that it will soon exit.

According to PLDT, it remains the lone telco provider in the country that can render up to 10,000 Mbps fiber connection. PLDT’s Home Fiber, for instance, supplies the fastest internet to over 3.1 million subscribers through its nationwide infrastructure.