PhilTower rolling out 1,000 cell towers in 2025

Independent tower operator PhilTower Consortium Inc. is expanding its digital infrastructure footprint further as it aims to build a thousand telecommunications towers all over the country.

“This year is going to be a tremendous year from a build perspective with all the operators coming back into the activities. We see strong activities from Globe, we see strong activities from Smart, and even so for DITO. So that implies additional investments,” PhilTower president and CEO Devid Gubiani told reporters in a chance interview on Tuesday.

For 2025, Gubiani said the company is looking at a capital expenditure of “close to $150 million” to “build a thousand towers.”

“A lot of those towers, 30%-40% of them are happening in the Visayas and Mindanao… happening also in isolated or more remote areas in North Luzon or in the South [Luzon],” he said.

The PhilTower chief added that its telecoms tower build-up for this year would be in response to “very strong demand from the [mobile] users and we see this as very, very positive.”

PhilTower, having consolidated its operations with MIESCOR Infrastructure Development Corp. (MIDC), has a portfolio of 3,500 towers, according to Gubiani.

PhilTower and MIDC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) to enhance digital connectivity in BCDA’s key areas, namely Bonifacio Global City, New Clark City, and Morong Discovery Park.

“Collaborating with PhilTower, a leader in shared telecommunication infrastructure, aligns perfectly with our vision to create smart, future-ready urban centers and economic hubs,” said BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang.

“This partnership aims to bring comprehensive and high-quality digital connectivity to our areas of interest, supporting innovation, economic competitiveness, and sustainability,” said Gubiani.

--VAL, GMA Integrated News