PLDT open to new players, technologies in telco market

An official of telco giant PLDT said the group "welcomes" potential new industry players as the Philippine government entices companies to invest in the market.

PLDT image

PLDT is not bothered by new competitors, technologies

During the company's annual stockholders' meeting on Wednesday, PLDT and Smart Communications Inc. president and CEO Alfredo Panlilio expressed openness to tapping new technologies to cover more areas across the country.

Well, satellite is not new in terms of connectivity. In fact, at PLDT, we welcome new technologies as we want to serve most of our customers, especially in the remote areas of the country where satellite is the best technology to serve our customers, Panlilio said.

One of the names recently making noise is Elon Musk's Starlink. This, as the American company, secured the approval of the National Telecommunications Commission to start launching its internet services in the local sector.

The Philippines is the first in Southeast Asia to avail of Starlink's technology.

But PLDT, through its wireless arm Smart Communications, previously said that it was set to conduct the country's first space-based cellular broadband test with the group's technology collaborator AST SpaceMobile.

PLDT and global satellite operator Telesat of Canada also conducted the Philippines' first on-orbit testing of high-speed broadband connectivity with Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite.

Meanwhile, with the passage of the amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA), allowing foreign investors to own up to 100 percent of companies in key industries, the PLDT executive said the group would also welcome new competitors.

Well, it doesn’t change our north star where we want to put the customer in the center of our business. One of the pillars that we have identified moving forward is really to have the best customer experience in the country. So the company is working very hard to achieve that, regardless of what happens in the industry, whether new players are coming to the market. At the end of the day, it will be, who offers the best service, Panlilio said.

Source: Philippine Star