Government-led efforts to slash red tape during the pandemic allowed PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications to secure a record number of permits for new cell sites and fiber cables in 2021.
As of Dec. 21, PLDT-Smart obtained over 45,000 fixed and wireless permits, bolstering ongoing network upgrades to meet massive demand for internet services, a statement on Monday showed.
“As the economy reopens and our countrymen continue to recover from the pandemic, the demand for reliable internet connectivity only continues to accelerate,” Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT Inc. and Smart Communications president and CEO, said in the statement.
“As such, we are one with our government in ensuring faster delivery of quality connectivity to more Filipinos nationwide,” he added.
PLDT and Smart said the group was on track to meet its full-year capital spending target of P88 billion, up 22 percent over the 2020 budget.
The companies pointed to initiatives led by the Anti-Red Tape Authority, National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Information and Communications Technology to streamline government permitting guidelines for telecommunications infrastructure.
These included a recently signed memo “simplifying the permitting process for cable laying, including the erection of poles, construction of underground fiber ducts, and installation of cables and facilities along national, local, and subdivision roads, including pavements and sidewalks.”
Bayanihan 2
They also benefited from provisions under the Republic Act No. 11494, otherwise known as the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2), which waived several permitting requirements for the industry.
“Government initiatives such as the streamlining of permitting guidelines for our cell sites and fiber lines are really helpful in expediting the expansion of our network across the country,” Panlilio said.
PLDT said its total fiber infrastructure spanned around 615,000 kilometers as of end-September this year.
The company’s home fiber footprint stood at 5.29 million ports with the completion of 1.23 million ports during the same period.
The company’s fiber network also supports its 3G, 4G/LTE and budding 5G network, which serve 96 percent of the population from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi. Smart said it “operates the country’s widest 5G network” with around 6,400 base stations.
PLDT earlier disclosed that January to September core earnings rose 10 percent to P23.1 billion while services revenues increased 7 percent to P135.9 billion. INQ