The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is extending the license to operate telco towers from 5 years to 15 years to make the policy more investment friendly.
Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda of the DICT said this is to maximize the investment for a telco tower and align with the lifespan of the tower of 25 to 50 years.
Aguda said that DICT will just finalize the Department Order this week following a final consultation with the tower companies. Tower companies are favorable with the extension and are just organizing as an industry group. Once the group has been organized, the extension of the license to operate will be discussed in the group’s first event.
Aguda said it is not fair that the tower has a life span of 25 to 50 years but the license to operate is only for 5 years. Once a tower company applies for renewal, the permit operate will be good for 15 years.
Aguda said that the license extension is also on condition that the operate will construct their towers faster.
Key telco tower players include PLDT, Globe Telecom, and independent tower companies like American Tower, edotco, Pinnacle Towers, and EdgePoint.
Several companies also operate as independent tower companies in the Philippines, providing infrastructure for mobile network operators. These include PhilTower Consortium Inc., Miescor Infrastructure Development Corp. (MIDC), Unity Digital Infrastructure, EdgePoint Infrastructure, Frontier Tower Associates Philippines Inc., and Pinnacle Towers.
