Sen. Grace Poe has approved Dito Telecommunity’s franchise application at the committee level upon meeting the requirements of its first year of franchise application.
“Dito was granted the third-player status because it was evaluated as capable of competing with the other two major players. And while we understand birthing pains, we are also looking for marked improvement from the status quo by the present telcos,” Poe said in her opening statement during the franchise hearing of the Senate committee on public services on Wednesday, March 10.
Since the last franchise hearing, Dito reported that it’s currently approaching a 45-percent population coverage, surpassing the required 37 percent and nearing the targeted 51-percent requirement for their second year of franchise application that is scheduled for audit on July 8, 2021.
The third telco company who made its commercial debut of their services this week in Cebu and Davao also reported to have been able to build 2,200 cell towers in a span of a year and a half.
Poe also questioned Dito on reports regarding the restrictive compatibility requirements of their subscriber identity module (SIM) cards, to which Dito’s representatives explained that the reason for this is the collaborative test they undergo with manufacturers to determine the SIM’s compatibility with certain phone models so that consumers won’t waste money if their phone turns out to be incompatible with Dito’s SIM.
Poe also reminded Dito to properly comply with the required building permits in erecting cell towers by hiring subcontractors who follow the rules since the telco company reportedly encountered issues in an office building in Bacolod City and the local government of Malabon City.
“Allow me to reiterate that the grant of a franchise is not a right, but a privilege. New franchise applicants must establish that there is a public need for the service they propose to deliver and the means to adequately provide it,” Poe said.
The auditing of Dito Telecommunity was conducted by independent auditors KPMG R.G. Manabat & Co. specializing in IT governance, risk and compliance, and cybersecurity, and Engr. Pierre Tito Galla of Democracy.net.ph, who both confirmed that Dito successfully met the population coverage requirement as well as the minimum Internet speed of 37 mbps where it was able to achieve 85.9 mbps for 4G and 507.5 mbps for 5G.
