Globe Telecom Inc. said it installed the most number of cell sites in the second half of 2020, based on data from the National Telecommunications Commission.
The NTC data showed Globe built 786 new towers from July to December last year despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Its competitor built 323 towers in the same period.
The ramped-up builds were made possible through the enabling laws Bayanihan Act II and the Joint Memorandum CircularNo. 01 s. 2020 signed by ARTA, DICT, DILG and other government agencies that mandated the easing of permitting processes.
Globe secured 2,089 permits in the six-month period.
Globe had 10,395 tower sites as of December 2020. Smart Communications Inc. had 10,079 towers and DITO Telecommunity, 2,360 towers.
“There has really been an increase in the tower roll-out and I think this is the positive response to the Joint Memorandum Circular we have done as well to the president’s directive in easing up permits for the towers. We have seen a dramatic increase in the tower roll out,” Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic said.
