Department of Finance (DOF) secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Thursday, April 19, said there should be no rush in the bidding for the country’s third telecommunications player.
In a tweet, Dominguez said that ?to effectively compete, the investments required of the new major telecommunications players should be at least P200 billion.?
He explained that ?the magnitude of the investment requires that all elements, including the necessary access to available telecommunications infrastructure, are in place for the new player. Until such time, the bidding for its entry cannot be rushed.”
Asked to expound on his tweet, Dominguez said his message was meant as ?a reminder to make sure that all issues that may not give the potential aspirants an even chance of competing in the telco industry are adequately addressed.?
The deadline for the submission of bids for the third telco player has been moved to May 24, 2018 and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) earlier announced that selection of the country?s third telco players maybe announced by July.
In another announcement posted on DICT?s Facebook page last March 13, the agency said the Third Stakeholder?s Consultation on the Entry of a New Major Telecommunications Player (NMTP) set last March 14 has been ?postponed to a later date.?
The agency said continues to work closely with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ?to resolve issues? in the draft Terms of Reference (TOR).
?This is to ensure that the version to be presented in the next hearing will incorporate and carefully consider the inputs from various experts and stakeholders,? the DICT said.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has opened opportunities for other telco players to operate in the country and compete with Globe Telecom and PLDT in a bid to provide customers better and more affordable services. — Joann Villanueva (PNA)
