PLDT Inc. chairman Manuel Pangilinan cited the need for a strong government-telco partnership to bridge the digital divide and connect geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).
“Inclusive growth through technology is our mission at PLDT. This includes expanding our network to bring the benefits of the internet closer to our people in these GIDAs,” said Pangilinan who is also the chief executive of PLDT.
“This effort to get us to 100-percent connectivity will need to be comprehensive—building towers, offering affordable devices, and providing access to load. We’re intent on working with PBBM’s Government to make this happen,” he said.
PLDT’s wireless arm Smart Communications Inc (Smart)’s mobile network covers 97 percent of the country’s population. As part of the Marcos administration’s “Broadband ng Masa” Program, the PLDT Group is working with other members of the Private Sector Advisory Council’s Digital Infrastructure sector (PSAC DI) on its Connectivity Plan for GIDAs – a landmark collaboration with the support of government agencies.
