The Philippines’ third major telco player, DITO Telecommunity, has formally notified the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) of its readiness for the technical audit, which is a requirement for their subsequent commercial operations set to commence by March 2021.
R.G. Manabat & Co., an affiliate of international audit firm KPMG, was chosen from the latest list of accredited auditing firms under Group A of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The chosen independent auditor is set to test the connectivity and internet speeds in various areas to ensure that DITO complies with its requirement to cover 37% of the population and provide a minimum average internet speed of 27 Mbps.
The audit firm was appointed in accordance with the procedures under the rules and regulations stipulated in the selection process of the new major player (NTC Memorandum Circular MC 09-09-2018).
The field test is expected to be completed within 30 days, plus another 15 days in which to prepare the final report using a percentage of the identified 1,600 sites that cover 8,800 barangays in the Philippines as a base for the audit.
“For the past months, amid the difficulties posed by the current global pandemic, DITO has made great strides in the roll-out to ensure that the results of the audit will be positive,” according to Atty. Adel Tamano, DITO Telecommunity Chief Administrative Officer.
Atty. Tamano stressed that the result of the audit does not affect the planned commercial roll-out starting March of this year. “As I have said before, DITO Telecommunity is poised to finally offer its services to the Filipino people in March, world-class connectivity that they truly deserve, as we launch commercially.”