The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has extended the validity of tower licenses from five years to 15 years to reduce red tape and provide tower companies a longer period to build infrastructure faster.
The measure supports President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s goal to fast-track digital connectivity across the nation, according to the agency.
The tower license term extension was jointly launched by the DICT and the Information Tower Companies Association of the Philippines (ITCAP) at the PhilTower site in the MERALCO Kamuning Substation in Quezon City.
It aims to speed up the rollout of towers, decrease regulatory friction and bring the Philippines in line with global standards, where licenses often last 10 to 30 years or are indefinite in some countries.
The measure also reinforces the DICT’s common tower policy, outlined in Department Circular No. 008, Series of 2020.
This policy permits multiple telecommunications companies to share tower sites instead of constructing their own, which helps accelerate deployment, cut costs and expand national coverage.
The change is intended to empower tower companies to build faster and invest smarter, ensuring that communities, particularly those in far-flung areas, can connect sooner.
“Less red tape. More towers. Faster internet. That’s the message. The DICT is here to move, not wait,” said DICT Secretary Henry Aguda.
“Because what we stand before today isn’t just a common tower — it’s a monument to our shared dream of Digital Bayanihan: a nation that comes together to ensure that no Filipino is left offline,” Aguda said.
The ceremony was led by Aguda and ITCAP representative and PhilTower MIDC president Devid Gubiani. Executives from Alliance Towers, American Tower, EdgePoint, EDOTCO, Frontier Tower Associates, Ison Tower, LDIC, PhilTower MIDC, and Unity Digital Infrastructure were also in attendance.
The tower license term extension is part of the DICT’s broader strategy to modernize policy, empower industry partners and connect every Filipino, the department said.
