NOW Corp. said Thursday it “vehemently disagrees” with the decision of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to deny its application for an extension of its provisional authority to develop and operate a nationwide cellular mobile telephone system.
The company said it “will file a motion for reconsideration based on errors of law and fact and disregard of due process” allegedly committed by the NTC.
Through its affiliate NOW Telecom Co. Inc., the listed firm had sought approval for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to construct, operate, and maintain a nationwide third-generation (3G) cellular mobile network and services.
In its order, the NTC denied NOW Telecom’s motion to extend its provisional authority, effectively rendering the company’s license to install, operate, and maintain a nationwide mobile telecommunications system inoperative. Consequently, the frequency assigned to NOW Telecom — 20 megahertz of contiguous bandwidth in the 3520–3540 MHz range — was recalled.
The NTC cited “grossly deficient” network deployment as grounds for the denial, noting that only six base stations were installed out of the 2,306 facilities committed under NOW Telecom’s 2017 rollout plan.
