Because of lack of bidders, President Rodrigo Duterte’s earlier directive setting the deadline for the entry of the 3rd player by next month may not be met.
“It would now be physically impossible to meet the deadline to set up a third telecommunications firm in the country because the government has been overtaken by events,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in press briefing.
Department of Information and Communications Technology officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio, in a statement, said that they are pushing to move the deadline to May 2018 as there may not be any bidders if they force President Duterte’s original deadline.
Earlier, the President did not approve the new deadline to give the Filipinos a better telecommunication service which he said was being monopolized by giant telco firms Globe and PLDT.
“However, due to recent events, we may not make the move necessary,” Roque said.
“Maybe we are overtaken by events. From how I understand it. OIC Rio has moved the deadlines because it is physically impossible to meet them,” Roque said.
“While the President did not approve of the extension, I think the turn of events will eventually make it necessary to move the deadlines,” he added.
The DICT earlier set a target to accept bid documents from participating telecommunication companies for March 27 and announce the winning bidder by April 2. Vito Barcelo
Early this month, President Duterte has rejected during the Cabinet meeting the request of the DICT to be given more time to choose the country’s third telecommunications player.
In a bid to end the ‘telecoms duopoly’ in the country by Globe and PLDT, Duterte has ordered the DICT and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to swiftly approve applications and licenses to allow the third telecoms player to begin operations by March, 2018.
Duterte has invited China and India to participate in the bidding and become the third telco player in the country.