Alliance Towers plans to build 500 cellular towers a year

Digital infrastructure firm Alliance Towers Corp. is expanding its telecommunications tower footprint, banking on growing demand for fast and reliable internet connectivity in the country.

In a statement, Alliance Towers said it plans to build 500 towers a year moving forward after building at least 40 towers amid the pandemic.

The company was recognized as a licensed digital infrastructure firm by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in 2019 and has since partnered with major telecommunications firms, Smart, Globe, and DITO.

The emergence of independent tower companies such as Alliance Towers was due to the government’s implementation of a “common tower policy” in which telcos will only have to lease towers instead of building their own to reduce the cost of maintenance and in turn cut the cost of telecommunications services.

Alliance Towers said its plan to put up 500 towers yearly coincides with the need for the Philippines to have at least 50,000 towers to meet the growing demand for internet connectivity.

“The recent pandemic has brought about the urgent need for fast and reliable internet connectivity to enable digital transformation and the adaptation of the country to new digital landscapes. Unfortunately, there is a wide gap between the number of subscribers and the cell sites here in the Philippines to provide the bandwidth and connectivity that the Filipinos demand,” said Alvin Tolentino, president and chief operating officer of Alliance Towers.

“As the country adapts to the rapidly changing times, Alliance Towers aims to be a major player in the common tower industry, helping its Telco partners provide better service, and the country progress towards a more connected nation. Our plans in the pipeline involve initiatives that will help stabilize and expedite programs to address consumer demands for improved digital connectivity across the Philippines,” added Tolentino.

The company said demand for towers is being driven by the increased capacity requirements of users, the 4G expansion and 5G rollout, and the increased number of telco players. —VBL, GMA News