MANILA – The bidding for the Philippines’ third telecommunications player will begin Nov. 7, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said Saturday.
This after President Rodrigo Duterte’s directed to ensure the selection of a third telco before the end of the year amid complaints of poor service under current providers.
The NTC will begin receiving bids on Nov. 5 and 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Nov. 7 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., the agency said in a statement.
“Opening of bids will immediately follow after the 10:00 a.m. deadline on November 7th,” the statement read.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will stream the opening of bids on its Facebook page, the NTC said.
At least 10 parties are expected to participate in the bidding, including China Telecom, Norway’s Telenor, Davao businessman Dennis Uy’s Udenna Corp. and a consortium that includes former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit Singson.
Duterte, in his third state of the nation address in July, directed the DICT and the NTC to have a third telco before the end of 2018 to break the duopoly between PLDT, Inc. and Globe Telecom.
The selection process must be “fair, reasonable and comprehensive,” Duterte said.
“The only condition is that the chosen entity must provide the best possible services at reasonably accessible prices,” he added. (With a report from ABS-CBN News/PN)
