Globe points at gov't process in light of Jack Ma's PHL internet experience

Globe Telecom Inc. on Wednesday urged the government to ease permitting issues involving telecommunications infrastructure after Chinese billionaire Jack Ma commented on the state of the internet in the country.

"We know there is still a lot of room for improvement insofar as internet services are concerned," Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications Yolanda Crisanto told reporters in Makati City.

"However, even a man of stature like Jack Ma understands that government and private sector need to work together to improve services," she added.

She was responding to remarks made earlier in the day by Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma who said the Philippine internet service "is not good."

But Ma, 53, noted it is unfair to blame anybody. He recalled how internet speed in China was terrible when Alibaba was a new company, saying it was much worse than in the Philippines today.

He emphasized, however, that it was not an excuse for mobile telecommunications companies.

Crisanto noted the private sector has long been urging the government to ease the process of issuing permits and enable the private sector to put up more cell towers.

"This has been our position since the beginning. We have been calling for government support to ease permitting issues in order to build more infra like cell sites which we need," Crisanto said.

Globe urged the government last year to ease the process of establishing new cell sites, as private subdivisions barred cell sites in certain areas, restricting improvements to internet connectivity.

It also sued a resident of upscale Dasmariñas Village in Makati City for preventing the telco from constructing cell sites inside the subdivision in June.

"We have been calling for the implementation of the National Broadband Plan to help augment the need for cell sites and fiber. Government need to also invest in the internet superhighway," Crisanto said. — VDS, GMA News