Manila, Philippines – Now Telecom, a telecommunications operator in the Philippines, is in danger of losing its mobile operating license due to its failure to meet network deployment targets. According to a report by local media outlet Inquirer.net, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) of the Philippines stated that Now Telecom will have its license revoked following the regulatory body's order.
The report indicates that Now Telecom has an outstanding balance of approximately ₱3.57 billion (around US$62 million) in regulatory fees. The NTC has granted Now Telecom a period of two weeks to appeal the decision.
A previous NTC report last month assessed Now Telecom's network rollout as "severely deficient." Despite committing to install 2,306 base stations under a 2017 plan, the company has reportedly only installed six. The NTC's order stated, "For a period of more than five years, the 3520-3540 MHz frequency band is utilized in only six (0.26%) out of the committed 2,306 base stations and in only three (1.22%) out of the 245 committed areas."
Now Telecom had previously announced plans to invest ₱7.8 billion (approximately US$140 million) over the next decade to build 100 base stations.
The company was originally established in 1992 as Satellite Paging Systems Philippines before rebranding as Now Telecom in 2013.
While Now Telecom claims to be the Philippines' fourth major mobile operator, the NTC has disputed this claim, asserting that Now Telecom does not possess sufficient frequency spectrum to compete with major players such as Globe Telecom and PLDT.
In related news, Now Telecom announced a partnership with Nokia in 2023, with Nokia's research and development arm, Bell Labs, slated to support Now Telecom's 5G Standalone (SA) network design.
The NTC's decision is expected to significantly impact Now Telecom's operations, and the outcome of any potential appeal will be closely watched.
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