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The regulator’s decision follows the operator’s abject failure to deploy mobile infrastructure after almost five years
This week, the Philippines regulator National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has denied NOW Telecom’s appeal to extend its mobile operating licence.
The regulator said that the operator had failed to meet numerous regulatory requirements attached to the licence, including minimal rollout targets and a sufficient use of assigned mobile spectrum.
“[Now Telecom’s] provisional authority to install, operate and maintain a nationwide mobile telecommunications system, offer services and to charge rates, with the clarification that said authority is not specific to 3G, is hereby deemed inoperative in view of its expiration/non-extension of its provisional authority,” said the NTC in a statement.
Founded as Satellite Paging Systems Philippines in 1992, NOW Telecom acquired a mobile network operating licence from the NTC in 2020, aiming to take on the de facto mobile duopoly of Globe and PLDT. As part of this licence agreement, NOW pledged to rollout 2,306 base stations across the country.
Five years on, however, the NTC says NOW has deployed just six base stations and still does not offer commercial services.
“After more than five years, the frequency band 3520-3540 MHz is used only in six out of 2,306 base stations (0.26 percent) or three out of 245 locations (1.22 percent),” read the NTC’s order.
In addition to this rollout failure, NOW also owes the regulator spectrum payments of over PHP 3.57 billion ($62 million), a figure that the operator contests.
NOW has 15 days to appeal to the decision, according to reports.
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