The PLDT Group on Monday lauded a government initiative that significantly cuts the time needed to bring power to telecom towers in remote areas.
The National Electrification Administration (NEA) recently published Memorandum Order 2024-18 streamlining the energization process for telecommunications towers in areas covered by electric cooperatives, which cuts the processing time to 30 days.
“PLDT and Smart are proud to have worked alongside the NEA, the Anti-Red Tape Authority, other mobile network operators, independent tower companies, and other government and private sector stakeholders in crafting these guidelines, helping pave the way for the faster rollout of telco infrastructure across the nation and ultimately boosting the government’s country-wide digitalization thrust,” Pamela B. Felizarta, head of Joint Strategic Operations at Smart, said.
The support aligns with PLDT and Smart’s longstanding partnership with government as a whole in bridging the digital divide, bringing the benefits of the internet closer to more Filipinos across the country.
Previously, PLDT also supported the ARTA’s telco workshops addressing the bottlenecks in the permitting, licensing, and authorizing process to improve connectivity, particularly in far-flung areas.
PLDT also participated in the crafting of the implementing rules of Executive Order No. 32 (s. 2023) signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July 2023 that streamlined the permitting process for the construction, installation, repair, operation and maintenance of telecommunications and Internet infrastructure in the country.
Recently, PLDT also expressed its support for the government drive to help more local government units digitalize and streamline their processes through the eLGU program.
