President Duterte is determined to break the duopoly in the telecommunications industry by allowing any foreign and local company to become the third player in the market.
In his State-of-the-Nation-Address (SoNA) Monday, the President said he wants the next third major telco player to offer the “best possible services at reasonably accessible prices” to the local market.
He assured interested parties that the selection process would be fair and reasonable.
“My administration remains firm in its resolve to ensure that the country’s telecommunications services are reliable, inexpensive and secure,” Duterte said before the joint session of Congress.
“A draft Terms of Reference for the entry of a new, major industry player is at hand. The terms will be fair, reasonable and comprehensive. It will be inclusive so it will be open to all interested private parties, both foreign and local. The only condition is that the chosen entity must provide the best possible services at reasonably accessible prices,” he said.
The President also pushed for the lowering of interconnection rates between the telco players to help bring down consumer costs.
“Our efforts to usher in a new major player shall be rendered futile if we do not improve its odds of success in an industry that has long been dominated by a well-entrenched duopoly,” he said. (Genalyn Kabiling)
