Globe wants idle 700-Mhz frequency allocated ASAP

MANILA, Philippines - Ayala Group’s Globe Telecom Inc. is calling for the immediate reallocation of the 700 Megahertz (Mhz) frequency band to address growing demand for high-speed Internet in the country.

“We respectfully urge the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to immediately reassign the 700 Mhz of frequency currently designated for use by San Miguel Corp. (SMC) to ensure a more equitable sharing of the spectrum among telco players in the country,” Globe general counsel Froilan Castelo said in a statement yesterday.

Given ongoing concerns on the state of Philippine Internet and increasing customer demand for high-speed data connectivity, there is a need for NTC to ensure the 700 Mhz band is made open to other telco players.

“Reassignment of the frequency is also in line with global practice of allocating it to several telco players. The whole range of 700 band simply cannot be given to only one entity,” Castelo said.

The 700 Mhz is key to providing faster Internet speeds and addressing the customers’ rising need for mobile data services, as it allows signals to easily go through buildings and walls and covers larger areas with less investments required as compared to frequencies in higher bands.

Of the total 100 Mhz on the 700 Mhz band, SMC holds the bulk or 90 Mhz through wi-Tribe Telecoms Inc.’s 80 Mhz and High Frequency Telecommunications Inc.’s 10 Mhz. The 10 Mhz balance is assigned to New Century Telecommunications.

SMC is in talks with Australia’s biggest telephone company Telstra for a possible joint venture on the wireless business.

Apart from Globe, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. is also pushing for the reallocation of the frequency to existing players to provide consumers better Internet service.

NTC director Edgardo Cabarios said the reallocation of the frequency would be difficult to implement though, as it is a quasi-judicial process and there is no reason to recall its assignment.

An allocation could be recalled if the frequency is not being utilized or if spectrum user fees are not being paid.

Cabarios said the conditions to recall the allocation do not apply to SMC as it has obtained permit to purchase equipment for building its network and it continues to pay the fees.

As both incumbent telco players hold frequencies in other bands, Cabarios said the firms can utilize those to provide consumers better Internet services.