As DITO Telecommunity Corporation, the country’s third major telco player kicks off its commercial operations today, 3,000 frontliners in ten (10) areas in Visayas and Mindanao will be provided with free call and text, as well as broadband services as a way of strengthening the company’s commitment of nation-building and partnership with the Filipino people.
Following the ceremonial turnover to Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte-Carpio and Vice-Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, 300 frontliners of the city were named as the initial beneficiaries during the commercial launch virtual press conference earlier today.
No less than DITO Chairman and CEO Dennis A. Uy, Retired Major General Rodolfo Santiago (DITO Chief Technology Officer), and Atty. Adel Tamano (DITO Chief Administrative Officer) were present at the simple launch event with DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II and NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba sharing their congratulatory remarks remotely.
In this sentimental yet powerful statement, the Chairman and CEO of DITO was able to answer the questions in the minds of people as to why VisMin, and when DITO services will reach Luzon and the National Capital Region despite the telco’s national network roll-out.
“With this gesture, as a partner in nation-building, we send the message to the people of the Philippines wherever they may be that DITO is more than just a telco. We are here to serve, and, in this manner, we want the entire country to know na “DITO NA KAMI, DITO NA TAYO and magkita-kita tayo diyan very soon,” said Uy.
DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II reiterated the importance of having the telecommunications industry to be at parity with the rest of the world, in terms of technology, and how the entry of DITO through transparent and fair bidding has spurred an increase in investments and infrastructure spending in the telecom sector that in the long term will benefit the entire nation.
“Now, after overcoming hurdles and passing the technical audit of your first year of the roll-out, we hope that this commercial launch would bring welcome dynamism to the Philippine telecom industry. Truly, this event represents a big boost in digital connectivity services for the Filipino people,” said Sec. Honasan.
The CTO of the telco recounted how at the beginning critics of the initiative said that building a network in more than a year was a fool’s errand, that it was bound to fail, that it simply could not be done, especially as the global pandemic hit at a crucial juncture in the network roll-out.
Fast-forward 2021, just a few weeks before the commercial launch, DITO’s services far exceeded the required benchmarks of the first government-mandated audit. The audit findings showed that DITO demonstrated an average speed of 85.9 Mbps for 4G and 507.5 Mbps for 5G with population coverage of more than 37%, important indicators that point to the brand’s readiness to fulfill its mandate of bringing world-class connectivity to every Filipino.
Atty. Tamano said that the rationale for a third telco was to serve the underserved and to provide Filipinos with a better option, a wiser choice. He further recalled that our national leaders believed that without the right ICT infrastructure, without real competition, the Philippines will never reach its full potential.
“DITO was born out of a spirit of nation-building. This is the genesis of this project, the origins of why DITO was born. This our why and DITO’s DNA,” according to Atty. Adel Tamano, DITO Chief Administrative Officer.
Attractive welcome plans and other details about DITO Telecommunity are available online via www.dito.ph.