Appeals court throws out MMTI’s 3G licence appeal

Filipino telecoms operator Multi-Media Telephony Inc (MMTI) has failed in its bid to get the Court of Appeals (CA) to annul earlier decisions made by the country’s telecoms regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), which denied MMTI’s original application for a 3G licence. Fourteenth Division of the court dismissed the operator’s case, filed last month, citing ‘technicalities’ as the reason. The court notes that MMTI identified the NTC as the sole respondent in the petition when, in fact, there are other entities involved, including the four successful winners of 3G frequency spectrum. MMTI has questioned the NTC’s December 2005 decision to award 3G concessions to Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Digital Mobile Philippines and Connectivity Unlimited Resources Enterprises (CURE).