GLOBE Telecom Inc. rejected the National Telecommunications Commission’s (NTC) imposition of fines against the company and two other competitors over alleged service deficiencies, claiming that the regulator’s supervising agency, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), had cited the telco for its efforts to advance its network and coverage.
Smart Communicatons Inc., meanwhile, declined to comment about the NTC move while representatives of DITO Telecommunity Inc. did not immediately respond to queries.
“Smart has not received the show-cause order letter so we are not in a position to comment at this time,” a Smart official said.
Yoly Crisanto, Globe chief sustainability and corporate communications officer, said in a television interview that “we are concerned by the NTC statement saying we have not improved services as the latest DICT report proves otherwise. We make use of the latest technologies, including satellites to serve even the Filipino at the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.”
The NTC on Saturday announced that it had issued show-cause orders against Globe, Smart and DITO due to unsatisfactory mobile broadband services. It said that mobile speed results for September remained substantially unchanged compared to the first and second quarters, tagged deficiencies in parts of Metro Manila and imposed daily fines of P100,000 until corrective measures were undertaken.
The NTC tagged Manila, Makati and Quezon City as areas of concern for Globe. DITO was evaluated in San Juan, Pasay and Las Piñas, while Smart was assessed in Parañaque, Manila and Pasig.
The regulator said it based the enforcement action on Section 17 (a) of Commonwealth Act 146, as amended by Republic Act 11659, or the Public Service Act. The provision authorizes the NTC to investigate and enforce compliance with standards, rules, regulations, orders and other requirements imposed by the commission.
The regulator said it would conduct retesting every two weeks in the affected areas to determine whether the necessary network improvements had been implemented.
