President Duterte threatened to open the local telecommunications
industry to Chinese competitors if the country’s mobile phone duopoly—PLDT-Smart Communications of Manuel V. Pangilinan and Globe Telecom of the Ayala Group—fails to improve its atrocious services.
In a speech in Davao City, Mr. Duterte said he shared the frustration
of millions of mobile phone users in the Philippines, who complain of
poor phone service and slow internet speeds.
The President said that he personally had a share of those bad services and even admitted that oftentimes, he would "wait until the next day before I get a reply" to his text messages.
The President said that he personally had a share of those bad services and even admitted that oftentimes, he would "wait until the next day before I get a reply" to his text messages.
Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said that PLDT-Smart and
Globe should take seriously the President’s warning because “he talks
like that only when he is really frustrated.”
Last May, San Miguel Corp. abandoned its plan to emerge as the third
player to break the telecommunication duopoly when it sold its cell
sites and a 700-Megahertz spectrum to PLDT-Smart and Globe. This is a
type of low-band frequency with an ability to cover wide spaces and
penetrate walls at a lower cost.
The Philippine Competition Commission sought to investigate the deal but it was blocked by the Court of Appeals.
According to Andanar, Malacanang would wait how PLDT-Smart and Globe would deploy San Miguel’s assets to improve services.
But if they fail to shape up, Andanar said the Department of
Information and Communications Technology can put up a state-owned
telecommunications firm to compete with them and build cellular sites in
areas not currently served. They can also tap a third player to
increase the competition.
“We want to have a vibrant competition and end the two-player competition which is why it is called a duopoly," said Andanar.
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
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