The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) aims to cut the permits needed by tower companies by as much as 52 percent this year, as it implements its new circular that aims to streamline common tower builds in the country.
To do this, ICT Assistant Secretary for Digital Philippines Emmanuel Rey Caintic said his group has partnered with the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) to “ensure streamlined permitting requirements and procedures” for independent tower companies (ITCs).
“Since last year, we have been working on streamlining the permitting for ITCs. We are looking into cutting down redundant or duplicitous permitting requirements for ITC’s to reduce the number by more than 50 percent, and at the same time, reduce the average processing days,” he said.
Under Department Circular 8 or the Shared Passive Telecommunications Tower Infrastructures (PTTIs) Policy, the DICT aims to hasten the development of common cellular towers in the country, as it seeks to provide connectivity for all, while improving the overall state of the Internet in the Philippines.
DICT Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II said the policy is in line with Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act (EODB) of 2018.
“With streamlined procedures, we expect to speed up the rollout of common towers which will help us achieve our overall objective of enhancing wireless network coverage and the quality of ICT services across the entire country,” he said.
Honasan added that a joint memorandum circular for streamlining the issuance of permits is expected to be signed “within the next months.” Partner agencies for the said policy would include the ARTA, the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Interior and Local Government, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.