DITO passed 4th technical audit

DITO Telecommunity, a China-backed company that broke the industry duopoly of Globe and PLDT, has passed its fourth government-mandated technical audit that measures its compliance with network coverage and internet speed commitments.

In a letter sent to DITO Telecommunity chief administrative officer Adel Tamano, the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC confirmed that it passed its fourth yearly technical audit.

The independent audit is part of the conditions outlined in the Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity or CPCN given to the company.

The Independent Auditor's Report of Factual Findings from the Conduct of Specified Procedures — Year 4 Committed Levels of Service dated 29 August submitted by R.G. Manabat & Co. to the NTC stated that DITO surpassed its target.

As part of the issuance of its CPCN in July 2019, DITO Telecommunity needs to record 70.01 percent network reach with a minimum speed of 55 Mbps in the third year of its commitment period.

Notably, the audit showed that DITO now covers 80.65 percent of national population coverage.

Affordable Internet fulfilled

Its minimum average broadband speed or MABS, meanwhile, clocked in at 74.97 Mbps for 4G and 639.32 Mbps for 5G for all sites with a combined MABS of 357.14 Mbps.

"Despite all the challenges that we have faced, we continue to achieve our commitments to government and the Filipino people, to provide affordable world-class service and to serve the underserved. This is in support of the Marcos administration's drive towards digitalization and Nation-building," Tamano said.

If DITO fails to fulfill its commitments on time, the government forfeits, in its favor, the P25.7 billion performance bond that DITO paid before construction activities.

DITO has promised to cover 84 percent of the Philippines and offer a minimum average speed of at least 55 Mbps by the end of its commitment.

DITO recently conveyed that unresolved interconnection issues with its rivals have been affecting its subscriber base expansion as well as its development of new products for users.

The PCC affirmed DITO's complaints last year over the alleged anti-competitive behavior of its rivals regarding their interconnection deals.

PCC said it found "reasonable grounds to open a preliminary inquiry into the complaints filed by Dito Telecommunity against Globe Telecom and Smart Communications."

Under Executive Order 59 issued by late President Fidel V. Ramos in 1993, interconnection is a mandated and important component of the telco industry as it allows interoperability and exchange of calls, SMS, and other information from one network to another.