Magnificent seven? China Telecom joins growing list for Philippines’ third telco slot

China Telecom has been confirmed as the latest firm to have bought bid documents to vie for the third telecoms player slot in the Philippines, bringing the total to date to seven. The Cabinet office overseeing the selection process confirmed the Chinese giant’s participation today (12 October), with Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr. noting that state-run China Telecom secured its bid documents at 11.00hrs local time. ‘This shows telcos’ confidence in the selection process that only NOW [Telecom], out of seven, is challenging in court,’ Rio added, referring to a pending legal challenge from NOW Telecom which has accused the regulator, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), of using the selection process as a ‘money-making’ exercise. The deadline for applications is 7 November 2018, and the DICT hopes NOW’s lawsuit will not derail the selection process, which aims to name the successful bidder before the end of this year.