In a stock exchange filing, the communications arm of Mel Velarde’s NOW Corp, NOW Telecom, has confirmed its intention to offer 5G services in the Philippines in competition with domestic giants PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom, and new third telco DITO Telecommunity Corporation (formerly Mislatel). ‘NOW Corporation would like to confirm that NOW Telecom is venturing into 5G telecommunications,’ the company’s disclosure confirmed.
Last month NOW Telecom revealed it was considering offering fifth-generation wireless services in the Philippines, and the board had approved the adoption of 5G services for homes and businesses in the country, which it claims will deliver speeds of up to 20Gbps. NOW Telecom President Rodolfo P Pantoja was quoted as saying: ‘The Decentralised Gigabit Era is upon us now. 5G will allow high wireless bandwidth in low latency scenarios, allowing for further complex technologies to exist. 5G is necessary for the Internet of Things [IoT] to thrive. With cloud computing, you can now decentralise the business of telecommunications.’ Mr Pantoja, a former CEO at Indonesian 4G operator Smart Telecom (Smartfren), has been brought in to improve NOW’s telecoms business. Further, the telco’s board of directors have agreed to an 11% share swap with its parent NOW Corp, which will increase the latter’s share in NOW Telecom to 30%.