Dito, LCS Group activate first shared telco tower

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s common tower initiative has taken a step forward as the country’s first shared telecom tower under the group of politician Luis Chavit Singson has been activated by new player Dito Telecommunity.

The activated tower in Valenzuela City was inspected yesterday by officials from the LCS Group, Dito, and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan.

“Through the common tower policy, we hope to widen the base of common towers and, thus, speed up the deployment of internet across the country by allowing and encouraging telcos and internet service providers to share cell towers,” Honasan said.

Honasan said the government and the private sector need to work closely in upgrading ICT infrastructures such as cell towers in order to improve the quality of internet connectivity and address the increasing demand for data.

The LCS Group is undertaking the construction of more than 100 common towers spread in various stages of completion across Luzon and strategic NCR areas.

The towers are composed of self-support towers, rapid deployment station towers and rooftop towers.

“LCS, in support of the DICT and the President’s passive telecommunications tower infrastructure directives, commits to roll out as much as 6,000 towers in the next few years with strategic partnerships to ensure universal access to reliable, affordable and secure connectivity,” Singson said.

Aaron Tan, chief executive officer for ICT of LCS, said the tower activated by Dito in Valenzuela was a rapid deployment station telecom structure.

Tan said this type of tower can be deployed and disassembled in a few days without the need for extensive excavation and foundation construction.

“We managed to roll out the Philippines’ first RDS common telecom tower. This structure spans 20 meters in height that can be constructed in strategic NCR regions to cater to the three mobile network operators. After intensive and careful analysis, this type of tower is most suitable to be deployed in this area where suitable land is scarce and shortage of elevated buildings,” he said.

Dito chief technology officer Rodolfo Santiago said the company plans to activate with LCS up to 100 more common towers, as well as complete a total of 300 towers by end of the year together with other independent tower contractors.

“The government’s common tower policy allows us to tap reliable local partners and their existing telecommunications infrastructure assets to support our network rollout, without having to build everything from scratch; done to ensure that we deliver on our promise of faster and more affordable internet connectivity for our countrymen,” Dito chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said.