Bell Telecom sets aside P600M for nationwide expansion

Bell Telecommunication Philippines Inc. is spending about P600 million over the next two years in a bid to expand its presence nationwide and invest in the latest technology.

Bell Telecom chairman and CEO Edgardo Puyat Reyes told The STAR that the company is expanding to 15 additional points of presence all over the country.

These new areas will include extending as far as Mactan in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod in Negros Occidental, and Davao.

Included in the expansion areas are Dasmariñas in Cavite, Baguio, Clark, Subic, Caloocan, Lipa, Batangas City covering the industrial zone, Bulacan, Tagaytay, Tarlac, and Dagupan in Pangasinan.

"We are aiming to expand our wireless network all over the country. In the case of Cebu, it will be a combination of wireless, fiber and satellite," he said.

At present, Bell Telecom which offers converged voice and data services covers the greater Metro Manila including parts of Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas. It has about 1,000 corporate customers and has invested more than a P1 billion so far in infrastructure.

Reyes said the P600 million capital expenditure budget for 2005 and 2006 will be financed partly by equity and partly through long-term financing.

Bell Telecom currently offers on a trial basis IC1 which delivers into the residences cable content, broadband Internet, and voice services.

Reyes pointed out that unlike in the US where video, telephone and broadband are being offered as a package for $90 a month at the cheapest, Bell is pricing it at about $50 a month.

The company likewise offers wireless area network for institutions such as those in the financial and educational sectors.

"In fact, we now have two medium-sized banks as clients for WAN. We also connect the three campuses of the University of the East (Recto, Sta. Mesa, and Caloocan) through big pipes as well as the Department of Agriculture," Reyes disclosed.

I Cable, another service, is being offered in partnership with Destiny Cable beginning six months ago. Destiny offers the cable content and infrastructure.

Bell Telecom, which Reyes describes as the only true next generation network, likewise offers local exchange and international gateway services.

Reyes emphasizes that Bell Telecom is the only telecommunications company in the country that offers the latest technology called OFDM which is not line of sight.

OFDM is the first step towards Wi-Max which is the reason why Smart Communications acquired broadband Internet provider service Meridian Telecoms recently.

Wi-Max (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) is a wireless broadband technology that provides connectivity for organizations that have multiple branches.