Three telco companies complete nationwide network interconnection

Three telco companies complete nationwide network interconnection

By EMMIE V. ABADILLA

April 15, 2011, 2:48am

MANILA, Philippines – At last, subscribers of rival telecommunication companies in the same town or city will no longer have to pay long-distance rates to call each other via landline phones.

The networks of Globe Telecom, Bayan Telecommunications (BayanTel), and Digitel Telecommunications Philippines (Digitel) are now 100% interconnected nationwide, after the Globe and Digitel networks in Lucena City and the rest of Quezon province were linked.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) required full interconnection among the three carriers under the law, Republic Act 7925, the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of 1995, meant to create a universally accessible, fully integrated nationwide network to attract more infrastructure investments from the private sector.

Globe and Digitel have established interconnection in common operation areas in the National Capital Region and in the provinces of Camarines Norte, Bataan, Lucena, Sorsogon, Ilocos Sur, Nueva Vizcaya, and Zambales. On the other hand, Globe and Bayantel are both present in the National Capital Region and the provinces of Iloilo, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Negros Occidental, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Misamis Oriental, Agusan del Norte, Davao del Sur, South Cotabato, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur and Sorsogon.

Meanwhile, PLDT has yet to fulfill full interconnection with its competitors but its recent purchase of the Gokongwei-owned Digitel is expected to hasten interconnection.

To date, both PLDT and Globe are locally interconnected only in Davao City, Batangas, Cavite, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Cotabato City. The two companies’ networks are not yet interconnected in at least 20 more provinces where both have commercial operations, including the provinces of Pampanga, La Union and Benguet.

Earlier, the NTC and the provincial board of Pampanga announced that PLDT and Globe will implement the interconnection of its networks in the province on April 15, 2011.

“We’ve always been ready and waiting to interconnect our network with all our competitors,” declared Atty. Froilan Castelo, Globe’s head for corporate and legal services group. “Interconnection of landline facilities is a must if we want economic development to spread beyond urban areas.”

After completing its nationwide interconnection with Digitel and BayanTel, Globe hopes to speed up interconnection agreements with PLDT to develop the country’s telecommunications infrastructure.

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