PLDT, Inc. and Globe are the two well-known telecommunication service providers of the Philippines; hence they are labelled as a duopoly. Internet and mobile network services used by most Filipinos revolve around these two suppliers, giving not much option to the public. To be honest, the services provided by these two giants does not suffice the needs of the community in terms of quality and price. We can all see in a daily basis the concerns of different people regarding their services in social media.
For the past years, there has been a clamor for another choice of telecommunication service provider. The names of ZTE and Telstra had been mentioned in the discussions and the former hit the headlines due to the anomalous dealings it entailed. However, the main issue should remain: the need to break the duopoly, to give options to consumers.
President Rodrigo Duterte heeds the need of the people and desires to open the country to other suppliers of telecommunication services. As of this time, there is a proposed telco supplier from China. The Department of Information and Communications Technology officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio Jr. noted that both “Globe and Smart (mobile subsidiary of PLDT, Inc.) are using hardware and software from China” (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/companies/640773/dict-says-third-telco-needs-to-interconnect-with-globe-smart-networks/story/) and it will be a good option to offer another provider to the people.
As mandated by law, the incoming third telco provider must interconnect with the existing networks of Globe and PLDT., Inc. This is to enable to send and receive text messages and calls among subscribers of the different networks. Without the interconnection, subscribers can only send and receive messages and calls from subscribers of the same network. Another issue that arose in the coming of a new provider is the unavailability of 2G frequencies since all frequencies are already controlled by Globe and Smart. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the 2G frequency is already getting outdated.
Having a new player in the Telecommunication Service will prove to be the next step in improving our communication service in the Philippines. We can expect that there will be an adjustment period for this but we should bear in mind the future positive returns of this project.
By: Rosanna Gamueda|Bataan National Highschool|Balanga, Bataan
