NOW Telecom taps SBA Towers Philippines for infrastructure support

MANILA, Philippines — Wireless operator NOW Telecom Co. Inc. has partnered with the local unit of a Nasdaq-listed firm engaged in the construction of communications infrastructure to boost its 5G capabilities.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, NOW Telecom’s parent NOW Corp. said that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SBA Towers Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of SBA Communications Corp. listed in the US.

The MOU opens an avenue for the two parties to negotiate the provision of tower infrastructure and explore the possibility of shared infrastructure for their Philippine operations.

NOW Corp. said that it is discussing with SBA Towers the lease of build-to-suit sites and towers.

Both parties are also working out a deal on how passive facilities could be tapped by the NOW Group in its bid to improve its internet services.

NOW Telecom aims to leverage on the infrastructure network of SBA Towers to deliver on its roadmap of providing 5G.

In 2019 the firm hopped on the 5G hype and promised its users up to 20 Gbps of internet speed.

NOW Telecom president and chief operating officer Rene Rosales said the firm looks forward to working with SBA Towers in trying to achieve its 5G vision.

“It is an integral policy in NOW Group’s roadmap to partner with trusted vendors that are part of the Clean Network. We look forward to working with SBA Towers Philippines, whose expertise is providing support to operators like NOW to achieve our vision,” Rosales said.

NOW Telecom owns a congressional franchise to construct, operate and maintain wire and wireless communications systems. In 2020 it also secured its license from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to participate in the mobile network war.