2 towercos set to get deal with Globe

MANILA, Philippines — Two tower companies that are part of the 23 common tower pool that have previously secured an agreement with the government are set to secure a deal with telco giant Globe Telecom Inc.

Globe is set to sign today a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with two aspiring common tower providers in the country.

The deal would officially kick-off the government’s common tower initiative which aims for the development of at least 50,000 new common towers across the country in the next seven to 10 years.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) last month issued the rules on the so-called “accelerated roll-out of common towers,” which will pilot and test the common tower initiative of the government while also acquainting independent tower companies in the Philippine telecommunications market.   

Under the rules of the accelerated roll-out of common towers, some 2,500 sites, most of which are owned by the DICT and other government agencies, will serve as locations for common towers.

Telcos have to select from the 2,500 sites and contract any of the common tower companies that have signed an MOU with the DICT to put up a cell site infrastructure to be shared with other telcos and interested stakeholders.

Once a contract between the telco and common tower firm has been made, the DICT would then enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the selected tower company to ensure that all government requirements and permits in putting up the common towers will be facilitated by the agency.

So far, the DICT has signed MOUs with 23 aspiring common tower providers in the country, the latest of which is China Construction Yangtze River Sdn Bhd. The Malaysia-based firm signed an MOU with the DICT early this month.

The company joins other aspiring firms that include ISOC Infrastructures Inc., a company chaired by Megawide Construction Corp. co-founder Michael Cosiquien, ISON ECP Tower Singapore Pte. Ltd., Edotco Group Sdn Bhd and RT Telecom Sdn Bhd of Malaysia, IHS Towers, China Energy Equipment Co. Ltd., Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc., MGS Construction Inc., American Towers, Frontier Tower Associates Management, Phil Tower Consortium (Global Networks Inc. and JTower Inc.), JS Cruz Construction and Development Inc., DT Towers, Korea’s Shinheung Telecom Co. Ltd., Filipino-Indian consortium ALT Global Solutions Inc., LCS Holdings Inc. of politician Luis “Chavit” Singson, China Construction First Group Corp., ACODA Towers Sdn Bhd, CREI Management Services FZE, Tamoin Industrial Services Corp., EEI Corp. and Tiger Infrastructure Pte. Ltd.

“What we’ve signed with these tower firms are MOUs only. They need to secure a contract from the telcos because their clients are the telcos and not the government. Once they are able to get a contract, then that is when we will help,” Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio said.