Filipino govt extends Smart franchise until 2042

The government of the Philippines, with the approval of the law by the Office of the President, has extended the congressional operating franchise of PLDT’s mobile unit Smart Communications for a further 25 years, until 2042. In a statement yesterday (3 May 2017), PLDT confirmed that it had received formal notification of the decision which ‘will take effect 15 days after publication in newspapers of general circulation’. Smart’s franchise expired in March 2017.