PLDT asks government: Map telecom facilities, cable lines

MANILA, Philippines — Telco giant PLDT Inc. has asked the government to map telecommunication facilities, especially cable lines, to prevent damaging them as a result of new projects and road repairs.

In a statement, PLDT president and chief executive officer Alfredo Panlilio said the firm supports the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) in its initiative to map the assets and equipment owned by telco providers.

This way, Panlilio said the government can ensure that agencies, such as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), deliver road projects with precaution to avoid damaging telco facilities.

“We support this ARTA-driven workshop on process mapping of telco facilities’ operations. Solutions to be developed from this initiative will minimize, if not totally prevent, the accidental cable cuts caused by DPWH projects,” he said.

“Our fiber infrastructure, being the country’s most extensive at over 1.1 million kilometers as of March, has had its own share of these incidents over the past years. As connectivity has become a basic human right, improvements must be made for us to keep Filipinos always connected,” Panlilio added.

Like PLDT, broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. wants the government to come up with a policy mandating the installation of telco infrastructure under new roads.

Under the proposal, the government will be required to build underground pipes for cable lines every time it pursues a road project.

Through this, telco operators can place their assets under new roads immediately, removing the need for them to dig again just to install their cable lines.

PLDT yesterday co-hosted the second workshop for the easing of telco licensing and permitting as promoted by ARTA’s Better Regulations Office.

The workshop sought to map the location of telco facilities that public and private stakeholders can use for future collaboration.

Panlilio said ARTA plays a crucial role in realizing the government’s push to shift its transactions online.

For one, ARTA regulates the flow of permitting and number of clearances that companies have to get to start a project.

“Through collaborations like this workshop, we hope to address the urgent need to operationalize policies to ensure the highest possible quality of service for Filipinos and support the government’s digitalization efforts,” the PLDT chief said.

Telco providers are asking the government to enforce policies that would streamline permitting to ease the cost and time needed in putting up new towers.