Third telco player rebrands as Dito, vows swift internet

MANILA, Philippines — Third telco player, formerly known as the Mislatel Consortium, has changed its name to Dito Telecommunity Corp. not only to express its arrival in the country’s telecommunications market but also to urge consumers to join the network.

The group’s spokesperson Adel Tamano told The STAR that the new brand name is derived from the Filipino word “dito”, which means here.

“Nandito na kami. Dito na tayo. (We are here. Join us),” said Dennis Uy, Dito Telecommunity chairman of the board.

After receiving the certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) and frequencies from the government on Monday, Uy said Filipinos would have the choice to experience a better telco service by next year when it starts commercial operations.

The company plans to conduct first a pilot user program toward the end of the year to test the network “in order to come out with a better offering.”

Uy said Dito would double the current speed offerings to 27 mbps in just a year and then increase that again to 55 mbps in year two.

He said Dito would also cover the country with 5G in as fast as five years.

“By the time our 5G rollout is complete, speed offerings will be 10 times faster than what the others are currently offering. Dito is a telecommunity. It is about creating connections and nation building. It is the new telecommunications company that the Filipinos deserve,” Uy said.

The Davao-based businessman, who also chairs Udenna Corp. and Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure Holdings Corp., said the group would use Volte – a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals.

With Volte, Uy said a much better-quality voice service than circuit switch 2G/3G will become a reality in the country.

“At Udenna, our vision has always been the improvement of the lives of Filipinos in various sectors, from oil, shipping through Chelsea, real estate, food, utilities, and now telecommunications. Now that we have the opportunity to reshape telecommunications in the Philippines, we don’t intend on merely being the third telco. We aim to be the best telco,” Uy said.

Uy said Udenna’s local knowledge of the Philippine market would be complemented by state-owned China Telecom’s world-class 4G and 5G technology and expertise.

“We are confident that we will meet all our commitments to the government—which are now our commitments to the Filipino people not just for this generation, but also for the next,” Uy said.

Dito Telecommunity, then known as Mislatel, was declared the provisional new major player in the telecommunications industry in Nov. 7 last year after its offer was the only one of three bids that was found complete and qualified.

In its bid, the group committed to increase basic internet speed to 55 mbps and cover 84 percent of the country’s population over a five-year period through a total of P257 billion investment.

On Nov. 19, the consortium received a new major player confirmation order from the government and last May, was able to secure Congress resolution involving its franchise.  – With Christina Mendez