NOW gets extension of authority to operate as telco

NOW Telecom Company Inc. has secured the regulatory approval extending its authority to operate as a telecommunications network, the firm said on Monday.

In a regulatory filing submitted by NOW Corp. corporate secretary Angeline Macasaet, the company said the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) approval came last week.

According to NOW, the extension includes its authority to install, operate, and maintain state-of-the-art efficient, effective, and economical telecommunications network.

This covers mobile telecommunications, data and voice telecom network, trunked radio dispatch communications system, digital trunked radio system, and telecommunications operations.

"The authority granted to NOW Telecom likewise includes the upgrade of its existing system to a Nationwide Wireless Communications Network which will provide Mobile Telephony communications and multimedia transmission capability to all cities and municipalities nationwide," the disclosure read.

"Among many telecom products and services, special emphasis is focused on serving the broadband data transmission requirement for Local Government Units and National Government agencies," it added.

Just last month, NOW Telecom Co. announced its intention to enter the fifth-generation (5G) wireless network technology space, gearing up to compete as the fourth major telco.

In a separate interview with reporters, however, NTC Deputy Commissioner Edgardo Cabarios said that NOW may not have enough frequencies to compete with incumbents PLDT Inc., Globe Telecom Inc., and third player Dito Telecommunity Corp.

"If you talk about mobile, tatlo lang. You have one coming in. Of course, NOW is an authorized mobile network operator... meron siyang spectrum but of course limited," he told reporters on the sidelines of the BusinessWorld Industry 4.0 Summit.

According to Cabarios, most of the frequencies that NOW has is only on the 3,500 megahertz (MHz), the midband of the spectrum, which can only cater to a niche market.

"You really cannot compete. Niche marketing lang 'yan. You are hitting a niche market. Otherwise, hindi talaga puwedeng makipagsabayan ka," he explained.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DIC) Secretary Gregorio Honasan II earlier in the day said the government plans to reallocate unutilized frequencies to make way for more telecommunication companies to enter the market."We will rationalize that also. It will require getting back frequencies that are allocated. It requires a frequency management policy," he said.

He noted, however, that the agency is focused on the entry of the third telco player before it can develop the envisioned frequency management policy. —NB, GMA News