PLDT, Smart Communications and DITO Telecommunity have signed a memorandum of understanding to share selected telecom infrastructure, a move the companies said could help expand network coverage and improve service reliability.
The agreement covers three areas: reciprocal access to eligible macro tower sites, co-location of in-building telecom facilities, and submarine cable capacity sharing through Indefeasible Right of Use arrangements.
Under the deal, the companies will allow each other to use certain existing tower sites and indoor telecom facilities, instead of building separate infrastructure in the same areas.
They will also explore sharing submarine cable capacity to make better use of existing international connectivity assets.
PLDT said the arrangement involves reciprocal resource sharing with no monetary exchange between the parties.
PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said the agreement reflects a broader role for telecom operators in improving access to connectivity.
“Connecting the country is a responsibility that we all share as Philippine telcos. This agreement reflects that, even as we compete in the marketplace, we can collaborate where it matters the most: accelerating digital inclusion, helping connect every Filipino, and creating greater opportunities for our people and our nation,” Pangilinan said.
DITO president and CEO Eric R. Alberto described the partnership as an initial step toward improving services for both companies’ subscribers.
“This partnership that we are forging today is a modest one. This allows both companies to deliver much better services for all our respective customers. May this partnership usher and blossom into many more things so that we can have meaningful results for our companies, and more importantly, for the betterment of services for all our respective customers,” Alberto said.
The companies said the arrangement is intended to reduce duplication of network investments, speed up expansion in underserved areas, and improve the use of existing telecom assets.
