Now Corp., a listed company controlled by the Velarde family, expressed interest to bid for the third telco slot to challenge the duopoly PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc.
“Definitely, we will participate. That’s for sure,” Kristian Pura, head of business development of Now, told reporters at the sidelines of the preliminary conference and consultation for selecting a new major telco player.
“We are open to forming a consortium of local and foreign telcos. Several groups already reached out to us. We are engaging with them and we will be finalizing some details but as of now, I cannot comment,” he said.
Now has cellular mobile telephone service license as early as 2006, but never rolled out its network because of lack of mobile radio frequencies.
Pura, however, said the March deadline of the Department of Information and Communications Technology in selecting the new major telco player was “too tight.”
This was supported by Converge ICT Solutions, TierOne Communications International Inc. and G-Telecoms which said they needed to prepare their respective technical and marketing studies first.
