(Eagle News) — Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. (Mislatel) consortium, the new player in the Philippine telecommunications industry, could soon operate in the country after it formally received its Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) from President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte awarded on Monday, July 8, the certificate to Mislatel which vowed to improve the prevailing internet speed from 4.5 Mbps to 55 Mbps.
The consortium will be renamed Dito Telecommunity Corporation, which is expected to begin commercial operations by 2020.
“Today, I am glad to announce the entry of a new player that will take on the challenge of competing against the existing players in our country’s telco industry. This new player is the Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co. or Mislatel consortium,” President Duterte said in a speech during the awarding rites.
The President noted that the entry of Mislatel consortium is another milestone in the continuing advancement of the country’s information and communications technology capability as it sets to improve the prevailing Internet speed to 55 Mbps.
Malacanang said Mislatel had already complied with the stringent standards set by the National Telecommunications Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Philippine Competition Commission and posted a performance security bond amounting to P25.7 billion.
“Accompanying this bond is a commitment—and I will hold you to that commitment—that it will improve the country’s prevailing Internet speed from 4.5 Mbps to 55 Mbps,” the President said.
-New telco player, a breath of fresh air-
Duterte said Mislatel or Dito’s entry was a “breath of fresh air.”
“Let us take the entry of this new telco player as a breath of fresh air in our rapidly evolving information age, where no one should be left behind in our pursuit of an inclusive and sustainable progress for all Filipinos,” President Duterte said.
The Mislatel consortium is comprised of Mislatel, Udenna Corp., China Telecom, and Chelsea Logistics. Mislatel consortium’s 55 Mbps Internet speed can cover 84.01 percent of the Philippine population in five years. It intends to spend P257 billion in infrastructure and services rollout during the same period.
Duterte urged Filipinos to take advantage of the entry of this new third player.
“Expand your businesses, engage in online jobs, avail of online learning and training opportunities, and participate in productive public discussions,” he said.
With a much improved telecommunications service, the President said Filipinos will now have better opportunity to improve their personal, social, political, and economic aspirations as the country.
He said having more players in the Philippine telecommunications industry would lead to a health competition that would result in “a well-connected society.”
“A well-connected society is a well informed and empowered one,” the President said.
Present during the awarding ceremony were Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Gregorio Honasan and Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go.
