The Philippines now has DITO Telecommunity to go up against industry giants Globe Telecom and PLDT. This, three years since the government launched its search for a new telco player.
A virtual press launch held on Monday saw in attendance executives from the National Telecommunications Commission, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and DITO Telecommunity. This marked the third telco player’s commercial entry.
The presence of DITO Telecommunity would provide a “big boost” in the local telco industry, said DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II.
“The people are expecting unhampered services and quality internet to move past this pandemic,” he said.
The new player promised to deliver an average broadband speed of 27 megabits per second, covering 37 percent of the country’s population for its first year of operations.
For its initial launch, DITO’s mobile services will be commercially available in select areas in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Chairman and CEO Dennis Uy, a business tycoon from Davao, said the group is not only here for business, but “as a partner in nation building.”
“DITO is more than just a telco,” he said. “We are here to serve in this manner. We want the country to know na DITO na kami, DITO na tayo and magkita-kita tayo very soon.”
Meanwhile, DITO chief administrative officer Adel Tamano said frontliners would be the group’s “endorsers.”
“Our first customers will be our frontliners,” Tamano said. “We are giving 3,000 SIMs to our frontliners. We are starting with Davao.”
