Industry giants PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom announced further progress in the rollout of telecommunications infrastructure after the government eased regulatory hurdles amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
PLDT’s Smart Communications said it secured about 600 additional permits in the third quarter of the year while rival Globe Telecom said more cities across the country had started to benefit from their network rollout.
This comes as the government passed the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which also cleared much of the regulatory bottlenecks that slowed down the rollout of cell sites and fiber lines.
Government bodies have also joined forces since the Anti-Red Tape Authority issued rules to cut delays caused by the cumbersome permitting process that previously stretched for months.
PLDT said it has secured around 1,200 permits since those guidelines were issued in August.
It said these were for towers in Metro Manila and Rizal as well as several provinces across the country.
Globe said some 140 municipalities and cities now have 4G or LTE mobile services following recent upgrades. INQ