MANILA, Philippines--Local company Sear Telecommunications Inc. plans to offer wireless broadband Internet services in the Philippines.

Documents from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) showed that the company had applied for authority to install and maintain public broadband services in the country.

In particular, the company said it planned to roll out a nationwide broadband network using wireless interoperability microwave access (Wimax) technology.

“The applicant has decided to go for technology change-out and upgrade due to the unabated development of broadband technologies, particularly Wimax, which the applicant will utilize to provide high-speed broadband and multimedia services,” the company said in its application, which was filed on Monday.

Using a previous license issued in 2003, Sear said it had tried to roll out broadband services in high-concentration markets such as Metro Manila and the provinces of Batangas and Cavite in Luzon, Cebu and Roxas cities in Visayas, and the cities of Zamboanga, Davao and Iligan in Mindanao.

However, the company was not able to roll out its services completely within the 10-year period specified by the NTC as a condition to the company’s license.

“Some of our investors both foreign and local backed out and opted to withhold their financial backings to the project due to the unstable economic conditions of the country,” Sear Telecommunications said.

Today, however, the company said it was renegotiating financing agreements with investors and banks to fund its current plans.

The company said gaining the NTC’s approval would allow Sears to “complete its rollout and meet market demands in the atmosphere of favorable and stable circumstances.”

Sear Telecommunications is lead by Gilbert Guy, CEO of Smartnet Philippines, one of the country’s biggest trunk radio operators.