Globe readies for gov’t common tower plan

Globe Telecom said it could partner with tower companies should the government push through with a policy to tap third party tower builders to address the telco infrastructure backlog.

Globe chief commercial officer Alberto M. de Larrazabal told reporters on Monday that prospective partnerships would help ensure their cell tower rollout targets were kept.

Under the government’s planned common tower policy, telco operators like PLDT Inc. and Globe would be prohibited from building their own cell towers.

The government would instead assign the role to third party tower builders and operators, which would in turn construct “independent sites” that would be leased to telcos, according to Ramon “RJ” Jacinto, who advises President Duterte on economic affairs and information technology communications.

The policy would compel telco firms, including a potential third player, to share infrastructure to reduce costs. Jacinto said the draft guidelines would be out next month.

Telcos have blamed the lack of infrastructure, including cell towers, when criticized over poor internet services.

De Larrazabal said their worry over the planned policy stemmed from the selected tower companies’ ability to deliver.

“What will mostly likely happen is we will align with tower companies [in which] we are personally confident of their capacity, their financial resources,” he said.

De Larrazabal, however, agreed that infrastructure sharing would bring down costs and cut redundant infrastructure.

“I would prefer to work with the government to find a way to make [the policy] work,” he said.

The Philippines has about 20,000 cell sites today and the government wants to bring in tower builders to expand the number by another 50,000 sites at a cost of around $5 billion. It claimed this policy would help speed up the rollout of cell sites. —MIGUEL R. CAMUS