The country's third telco, Dito Telecommunity Corp., has passed the technical audit for its second year commitment to state regulators and expects to haul in five to six million subscribers by yearend.
"The quality of our network is quite impressive," noted DITO Chief Administrative Officer Adel A. Tamano in today's (September 9) virtual press briefing.
That is, considering that the telco has only set up its network in two years and has been operating for just six months while its two competitors have been established for over twenty years.
To address customer complaints of slow connection in Metro Manila, DITO is doubling the number of its cell sites in the metropolis before year-end for more capacity and stable service.
As of last month, DITO is in 233 cities and municipalities nationwide and will add 53 more service areas this September.
At the end of 2021, the telco will be servicing a total of 286 areas throughout the archipelago.
Sa far, it is mobilizing 4,384 cell towers after integrating 3,094 towers.
Its submarine cable linking Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao has been completed in less than 6 months and has been operating since March.
Next month, the telco will start work on phase 2, the submarine cable linking Palawan to the rest of the country, which will also serve as a redundant network for Visayas and Mindanao. Phase 2 will be finished in the first quarter of 2022.
The company is investing P4 billion for the entire submarine cable system.
To date, DITO has 2.6 million subscribers, hauling in new ones at the average of 20,000 daily.
"We hope to have 3 million subscribers before the end of September," says Tamano. "Our numbers shows the appetite of the market for a new player."
Dito delivered on its national population coverage and minimum average broadband speed commitments for its second year audit.
Its national population coverage stood at 52.75 percent, higher than the 51 percent required in its certificate of public convenience and necessity.
DITO's minimum average broadband speeds are 89.13 mbps for 4G sites and 853.96 mbps for 5G.
Its minimum average broadband speed committed for the second year was 55 mbps.
In February, the telco passed the first technical audit for its first year commitment to cover 37 percent of the population and provide 27 mbps minimum average internet speed.
DITO committed to increase basic internet speed to 55 mbps and cover 84 percent of the population over five years.