President Duterte has signed into law the 25-year franchise extension for DITO Telecommunity Corporation, the country's third telco.
The President signed Republic Act No. (RA) 11537 yesterday, May 18.
DITO Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano thanked President Duterte for signing the law.
renewing its franchise for another 25 years.
The milestone came after DITO began servicing Metro Manila, said Tamano. The telco currently serves 100 cities and municipalities with a total population of 29 million.
"The grant of a franchise is not a privilege. It is a commitment that we, in DITO, take seriously," said Tamano in a statement.
"DITO was born out of a spirit of nation-building," he elaborated. "The rationale for a third telco was to serve the underserved. We are here for the long haul for the Filipino."
The law extends DITO's franchise for another 25 years after its April 24, 2023 expiry, unless sooner revoked or canceled.
The franchise will be considered "ipso facto" (by the fact itself) revoked if DITO fails to operate continuously for two years.
Under RA 11537, DITO shall obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to build and operate its facilities.
The NTC can revoke or suspend DITO's franchise in case the telco violates its provisions.
DITO launched commercial operations last March 8 in Visayas and Mindanao.
The telco is rolling out its network in five years, committing to provide at least 55 mbps (megabits per second) of mobile data connectivity to at least 84 percent of the Philippine population.