Aboitiz deploys ‘small cells’ to help telcos improve signal, internet

The Aboitiz Group’s infrastructure arm is expanding its cell tower business as telecommunications companies announced the aggressive rollout of network upgrades.

Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. said in a statement it would venture into the small cells business, which refer to small low-powered, short-ranged antennas that provide coverage and capacity.

These would work with macro cell towers and should play a crucial role in providing site density also needed for the deployment of 5G, the next-generation mobile standard.

“Our small cell network, which is readily available in high-density urban cities such as Subic, Cebu and Davao, will surely complement their individual efforts to boost service quality,” Rafael Aboitiz, general manager of Aboitiz InfraCapital’s small cell business, said in a statement.

Aboitiz is among nearly two dozen independent tower companies allowed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to participate in its common tower program.

Telco incumbents PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom control over 20,000 cell sites today. But the DICT said the country needed at least another 50,000 towers to improve mobile connectivity and to reach unserved or underserved areas.

More towers would decongest their mobile networks, translating to better signal quality and faster internet speeds.

PLDT, Globe and startup Dito Telecommunity said they had accelerated the construction of cell sites. The Bayanihan to Recover as One Act also freed up permitting bottlenecks that were once a hindrance to the construction of new cell towers.