The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) finally released on Tuesday the draft rules for the selection of a new major telco player that the government hopes will challenge industry giants PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom.
Delayed for months now, the said terms of reference (TOR) will determine how a valuable set of 3G, 4G and potential 5G radio frequencies will be awarded to a so-called third telco player.
The frequencies will allow the new player to provide an array of mobile services.
The TOR’s contents will still be subjected to yet to be scheduled public discussions.
Posted on the DICT’s website, the TOR outlined the third player’s qualifications, the frequencies to be awarded, the scoring system the government will use as well as other obligations to be imposed on the new major telco player, and penalties for its failure to comply.
To participate, an interested company or group must have a congressional franchise that is “not a related party” to dominant players, which in this case are the PLDT Group and Globe.
The company or members of a consortium must also have a paid-in capital of at least P10 billion.
The main technical qualification is for a least one member to have experience in “provisioning, delivery and operations” of a telco service for the last five years.
Up for grabs are a set of frequencies in the 700 Megahertz, 2100 MHz, 2.5 Gigahertz, 3.3 GHz and 3.5 GHz bands.
A set of 2100 MHz frequencies tied up under litigation before the Supreme Court will also be awarded to the new major player after the case is resolved, the TOR noted. —MIGUEL R. CAMUS