NOW Telecom has said it will launch a pilot 5G network in parts of Metro Manila backed by its previously announced funding agreement with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
In a stock market filing last week (13 January), NOW Telecom confirmed the signing of a letter of intent with USTDA during the 5th Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Tokyo, Japan, covering potential financing arrangements to fund the rollout of the project and to deliver the ‘necessary analysis, designs and plans for phased implementation of the project, and conduct a 5G pilot network at multiple sites in Metro Manila to validate network performance, test 5G use cases and provide data to inform larger scale deployment.’
In October 2022 NOW Telecom revealed it was looking to invest PHP7.8 billion (USD140.5 million) over the next ten years to build out an additional 100 base transceiver stations (BTS) and develop its digital infrastructure. The additional stations are planned for Mega Manila to cover gaps in its coverage; it has around 50 BTS mostly in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region.