Now Corp. is vying to become the third player in competitive mobile phone services market. It recently asked the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) to grant its long pending mobile frequency.
Now Corp. subsidiary Now Telecom has obtained a cellular mobile telephone services (CMTS) license in 2006 but has yet to obtain frequencies that would enable it to compete with incumbent players PLDT
Inc. and Globe Telecom
Mel Velarde, Now Corp. president and chief executive officer, said if the frequencies are granted this year, the company can roll out its mobile services next year.
The company is allotting an initial investment of P2 billion for the first 300 cell sites which cost $150,000 each .
The company will focus on mobile data services to challenge the growing business of the existing telcos but Velarde said , Now’s mobile data service will have “no data cap” where a minimum and
maximum data speed is set to ensure superior data experience.
At present, there are only two other telcos aside from PLDT and Globe which have CMTS licenses, Now Corp and ABS-CBN Convergence.
NTC plans to bid out the frequency surrendered by PLDT and Globe and the 3G frequency of Connectivity Unlimited Enterprise Resources (CURE) to a possible third player.
Velarde said Now will participate in the bidding , but emphasized the bidding should be on the merit of the business proposal not through outright payment saying it would be anti-competition if government
sells the frequency to a third player and just give the frequencies for free to giant players like PLDT, Globe and San Miguel Corp.
Velarde said if Now bids for the frequency, NTC should ask the three players to pay also all frequencies they now have .
Now plans to roll out the mobile services nationwide in partnership with a foreign firm .
Following the approval of the co-use agreement, the two firms had surrendered a total of 85 megahertz excess frequency from several spectrums shared from SMC which includes, 800 mhz; 2300 mhz; 2500;
1800; 2300 and 2600 mhz.
These will allow a third player to viably operate a mobile and broadband business in the country.
A new player will require huge capital , and would have to get a joint venture partner and craft a strategic plan to be able to compete with the two profitable telecom players.
Now is currently offering cable, broadband and IT services for enterprises clients .
The company is also offering a broadband services in a niche market such as building owners and enterprise clients.
The broadband services with 700 megabits per second speed is currently available in selected cities in Metro Manila.
Now uses a shared-revenues concept where the building owner will have to infuse investment on the fiber and bandwidth and gets a commission of from 5 percent to 50 percent depending on the sale of the
services .
“We will launch this September ,” Velarde said
This year, the broadband service is available in Metro Manila, but in the first quarter next year it will be expanded in Souther Luzon, Davao, and Cebu .
For this year the company has allocated $30 million investment for broadband.
Source : http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/now-vies-be-third-telco
NOW Corp solidified further its foothold in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry after the telecom firm clinched a deal with Eton Properties for the provision of broadband services.
Photo shows Kristian A. Pura, NOW Corp. Head of Enterprise Marketing;Dr. Thomas G. Aquino, NOW Corp Chairman;Josefino C. Lucas, Deputy COO of Eton Properties; Gigi W. Samala, First Vice-President of ETON Propertiesand Martha S. Herrera, AVP for Marketing, PR and Communications of Eton Properties.
The listed IT firm will provide internet services to Eton Centris. A 12-hectare retail and office mega-complex, Eton Centris is one of Quezon City’s premier convergence points and is home to the largest BPO companies in the country.
“Eton Properties is committed to provide good service to our tenants and this includes reliable broadband services and multiple choices for their connectivity requirements,” says Martha Herrera, Eton Properties AVP for marketing, PR, and corporate communications. “We understand that speedy and uninterrupted internet connection is crucial to the day-to-day operations of BPO companies.”
For its part, NOW considers the alliance with Eton as another step towards its goal of strengthening its presence in the BPO sector, one of the key pillars of the domestic economy. The $25-billion industry currently provides more than 1 million jobs and is the second biggest dollar earner in the country next to OFWs.
By forging an alliance with Eton, NOW will be able to ramp-up its subscriber base especially in the BPO arena,” says Kristian Pura, head of enterprise marketing at NOW.
Pura says winning over Eton’s confidence marks another milestone in the telecom firm’s bid to become another major player in the industry.
“Eton is a vital unit of a major conglomerate in the Philippines. It is part of the Lucio Tan group, a diversified conglomerate that also owns Asia Brewery, PAL and other big businesses. Winning Eton ’s business further strengthens NOW’s niche in the telco industry,” says Pura.
Source: http://business.mb.com.ph/2016/12/16/eton-properties-taps-now-broadband-to-cater-to-bpo-complex/
NEW San Jose Builders Inc. (NSJBI), one of the largest real-estate conglomerates in the country, is the latest property developer that signed up with NOW Corp. for broadband services.
NSJBI was impressed with the telecom firm’s ability to install its connection in a short period of time and deliver faster and higher-quality Internet compared with the broadband delivery of the country’s leading providers.
NSJBI tapped NOW’s Internet facilities for its Victoria Sports Lounge, touted as the world’s biggest vertical indoor-sports facility housed in eight floors, consisting of 36,000 square meters, and offering several gyms equipped with world-class equipment and gadgets; a shooting range; swimming pool; a jogging track; badminton, tennis and volleyball courts; wall climbing; fencing; a ballet studio, among others.
The first of its kind in the country, NSJBI wants the best for its top-notch clients, including the delivery of reliable and fast Internet services, said Christian Villanueva, club manager of Victoria.
“Since technology plays an important part in our life, the speed of Internet is a big factor for our clients,” Villanueva said. “Even if they are in the gym, they still want to be online for various reasons, such as keeping in touch with their family and friends, getting updates on a work that needs to be done right away, reading or watching the latest news.”
This is the reason why out of the five suppliers that NSJBI considered for the job, it eventually selected NOW after trying out its services.
“We at Victoria want only the best for our customers. They should be satisfied with everything, especially on the speed of the Internet. So far, we are very happy with what NOW has delivered. We can say, NOW is wow!” Villanueva said.
Aside from its speedy Internet, NSJBI cited the speed NOW installed its broadband network. It took NOW only three days to install everything, a far cry from the usual 60 days that other providers guarantee their would-be clients, Villanueva said.
“Before we finalized with NOW, we actually talked to at least four other suppliers. Only NOW was able to do a demo. Others just gave us a guarantee that they can deliver us the Internet speed that we want. When NOW did the demo, we signed up right away,” Villanueva said. “We chose NOW because, No. 1, the speed of the broadband is unmatched; you really get the speed that they promise they’ll give. No. 2, the installation process is unbelievable. In three days, everything is up and running thanks to its antenna that they installed on top of our roof deck—they didn’t have to go through underground to lay down their fiber optic.”
For its part, NOW is looking forward to tapping more developments similar to NSJBI and Victoria Sports Lounge. “This partnership with NSJBI allows NOW Corp to expand its market beyond enterprises and BPO [business-process outsourcing] office towers,” said Kristian Pura, head of enterprise marketing at NOW. “By signing up NSJBI only proves that our broadband services go beyond the workplace—that, we can also go to where people relax after a long day at the office.”
Source by: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/new-san-jose-builders-taps-now-broadband-for-victoria-sports-club-lounge/
NTC commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said the regulator would propose to the Department of Information and Communication Technology the bundling of frequencies for the third company in order to compete with the existing players.Cordoba said the government would bid out in bundle the 700 MHz, 2500-2700, 800 MHz and 3400-3500 MHz that were returned by PLDT and Globe, including the 3G frequencies of Connectivity Unlimited Resources Enterprise.He said the terms of the bidding for the bundled frequencies would be finalized early next year.
Cordoba said five companies, including Mel Velarde’s Now Telecom and businessman Dennis Uy’s Converge ICT Solutions Inc., expressed interest to join the bidding.
A third potential player―San Miguel Corp.―backed out from challenging the duopoly of PLDT and Globe after its $1-billion joint venture with Telstra Corp. of Australia did not push through.
Instead of challenging the duopoly, San Miguel sold its telecom assets to PLDT and Globe for P70 billion.
NTC deputy commissioner Edgardo Cabarios earlier said the aspiring third player in the telecom market needed to invest at least P30 billion for the initial rollout of mobile telecom infrastructure.
Cabarios also said the new player should match the investments of PLDT and Globe to catch up with the service of the existing players.
Both PLDT and Globe were investing more than P40 billion a year to increase their network capacity in a bid to provide better services.
Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu said “this industry is very difficult to penetrate because the barriers to entry are very expensive to overcome and because deployment of networks are very challenging due to local government issues.”
Cu cited the case of San Miguel, which early this year was on the verge of launching a telco business. However, following the sellout of San Miguel’s telco assets in late May, it was found that its existing telco infrastructure was barely adequate.
Source: http://manilastandardtoday.com/business/222833/5-firms-seek-globe-pldt-frequencies.html
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is planning to roll out in early 2017 a landmark auction for its store of valuable 4G and 3G frequencies,
saying there is mounting interest from smaller groups to become the country’s third telco player.
NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba told the Inquirer the auction—the first of its kind in the agency’s history—could count on assistance from the World Bank.
“Early next year, we can put this together,” Cordoba said, adding the final go-signal would come from the Department of Information and Communications Technology.
Cordoba said the final size and scope have yet to be determined. But what has been decided so far was that the auction would involve a full set of 3G and 4G spectrum assets.
Furthermore, the auction would only be open to new players, he said.
That means incumbent players PLDT and Globe Telecom, which already roughly control 78 percent of all available telco frequencies, would not be allowed to participate.
But Cordoba said several factors also had to be considered before NTC could proceed with the auction.
There was the Philippine Competition Commission’s legal row with Globe and PLDT over their joint acquisition of San Miguel Corp.’s telecommunications unit on May 30.
The outcome of that case could affect telco frequencies that PLDT and Globe returned, including the 20 MHz of the coveted 700 MHz spectrum.
Cordoba said valuation was also an important factor since this could be the government’s first auction. He said the World Bank could come in to help in this area.
“The World Bank has approached us for the valuation, they want to be the consultant for that,” he said.
Cordoba said several groups have already sent letters to the NTC, expressing their interest in the frequency auction. He said one of the companies was Now Telecom.
But Now Telecom’s head Mel Velarde said the company should have been assigned mobile frequencies as early as 2006, given that it already had a cellular mobile telephone service (CMTS).
“We are awaiting for frequencies we deserve, which should have been given since 2006 when we got our CMTS license, which was renewed in 2015,” Velarde said. “Requiring us to bid for frequencies is illegal and corrupt practice.”
NOW Corporation (PSE Ticker: NOW), a listed technology firm in the Philippine Stock Exchange, announced that it is now accepting applications from building owners who are in need of technical plans for in-building fiber broadband upgrade, with 100% financing available.
The monthly amortization payments for the upgrade could come from the building owners’ share in the monthly broadband revenues.
“All these mean multiple wins for all stakeholders,” Mel Velarde, NOW Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer, claims.
Commercial and residential buildings are deemed heavy users of broadband connectivity than single-detached family homes. In fact, fast and reliable broadband Internet is now rated as the single most important amenity for Multi Dwelling Units or MDUs.
In a recent study done by the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) Council based in the US, buildings that have access to fiber speeds raise rental values by up to 8 percent and purchase prices of condominiums by 2.8 percent. This means higher rental and sales value better than bottom lines for MDU owners. On average, this translates to about 11 percent net income for MDU owners and operators per unit (Source: Fiber to the Home Council Study, 2016).
“Imagine your tenants leaving your building because your broadband is lousy or runs superb only half of the time. I have a friend whose five kids would literally revolt if Internet connectivity is down even for just five minutes only. Tenants, mostly Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firms, represent a US$25 Billion market, while parents with children comprise the other US$25 Billion, mostly Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) money. Lose them and the boom market just passes you by,” Velarde warns.
NOW Corporation’s fiber technology direct to the building that offers up to 1 Gigabit per tenant, spiced up with 100% financing program and matched with revenue sharing with building owners, provides a permanent solution to this nagging problem of broadband Internet connectivity.
“We have net citizens (netizens) in critical buildings and subdivisions who have already taken the broadband Internet connectivity concern with their bare hands: they are now spending their own money to bring NOW Fiber Broadband to themselves and their neighbors,” NOW Marketing head Kristian Pura adds.
The primary target of NOW Corporation’s broadband Internet offering is the lucrative enterprise sector that usually pays more to secure guaranteed broadband speed. With its broadband service, NOW Corporation can do just that for clients who seek anywhere from 10Mbps up to 700Mbps at guaranteed speeds, and, if need be, up to 1Gbps per tenant.
The challenge, of course, is in terms of rolling out the network, which can cost massive amounts of money and plenty of headaches especially when it comes to local government unit requirements. The solution presented by NOW Corporation, according to Pura, is to get partners to jointly own the infrastructure, specifically their building’s own backbone. In return, building partners profit through a revenue sharing scheme.
Pura said this is now possible with their “Fiber in the Air” broadband technology which is capable of providing 700Mbps in as far as 7-10kms. With the program’s scheme, NOW Corporation will get building partners who will lease the technology from them and provide the service to the tenants. In exchange, NOW Corporation shares 5 percent to 50 percent of revenues from incremental bandwidth with them.
Under the revenue-sharing scheme, the starting rate will be Php250,000 but this will increase depending on the size of the building or infrastructure. “Since this service operates on ‘line of sight,’ the taller the building is, the better it will be.”
Pura said the company has already tapped 12 building partners in Metro Manila and is looking at more growth areas, particularly in Southern Luzon, Cebu and Davao by next year.
But Pura hinted that those living in horizontal houses such as those in villages might have something to look forward to. He said NOW Corporation is talking to some homeowners’ associations who may still be wary about telco towers near their lush and manicured village gardens, but are apparently open to the idea of NOW Corporation’s technology right now.
NOW Corporation’s “Fiber in the Air” service uses wireless technology to cut the costs of building fast broadband service in major areas, a typically expensive and complex task that drains billions of pesos of other giant telecom companies.
True to its testament of providing reliable and ultra-fast broadband connection via its fiber in the air, more and more companies have signed up to be part of the NOW network. Part of its roster of clients include Capitol Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Bellagio Residences (a dormitory building), Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, Sta. Isabel College, and Chinese General Hospital and Colleges, to name a few.
For building owners who want to apply as NOW Corporation’s building partners, visit NOW Corporation’s website: www.nownetwork.ph/building-partner.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-upgrade-fiber-broadband-nows-100-financing-pura?published=t
“We have net citizens (netizens) in critical buildings and subdivisions who have already taken the broadband Internet connectivity concern with their bare hands: they are now spending their own money to bring NOW Fiber Broadband to themselves and their neighbors,” NOW Marketing head Kristian Pura adds.
The primary target of NOW Corporation’s broadband Internet offering is the lucrative enterprise sector that usually pays more to secure guaranteed broadband speed. With its broadband service, NOW Corporation can do just that for clients who seek anywhere from 10Mbps up to 700Mbps at guaranteed speeds, and, if need be, up to 1Gbps per tenant.
The challenge, of course, is in terms of rolling out the network, which can cost massive amounts of money and plenty of headaches especially when it comes to local government unit requirements. The solution presented by NOW Corporation, according to Pura, is to get partners to jointly own the infrastructure, specifically their building’s own backbone. In return, building partners profit through a revenue sharing scheme.
Pura said this is now possible with their “Fiber in the Air” broadband technology which is capable of providing 700Mbps in as far as 7-10kms. With the program’s scheme, NOW Corporation will get building partners who will lease the technology from them and provide the service to the tenants. In exchange, NOW Corporation shares 5 percent to 50 percent of revenues from incremental bandwidth with them.
Under the revenue-sharing scheme, the starting rate will be Php250,000 but this will increase depending on the size of the building or infrastructure. “Since this service operates on ‘line of sight,’ the taller the building is, the better it will be.”
Pura said the company has already tapped 12 building partners in Metro Manila and is looking at more growth areas, particularly in Southern Luzon, Cebu and Davao by next year.
But Pura hinted that those living in horizontal houses such as those in villages might have something to look forward to. He said NOW Corporation is talking to some homeowners’ associations who may still be wary about telco towers near their lush and manicured village gardens, but are apparently open to the idea of NOW Corporation’s technology right now.
NOW Corporation’s “Fiber in the Air” service uses wireless technology to cut the costs of building fast broadband service in major areas, a typically expensive and complex task that drains billions of pesos of other giant telecom companies.
True to its testament of providing reliable and ultra-fast broadband connection via its fiber in the air, more and more companies have signed up to be part of the NOW network. Part of its roster of clients include Capitol Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Bellagio Residences (a dormitory building), Bayleaf Hotel in Intramuros, Sta. Isabel College, and Chinese General Hospital and Colleges, to name a few.
For building owners who want to apply as NOW Corporation’s building partners, visit NOW Corporation’s website: www.nownetwork.ph/building-partner.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-upgrade-fiber-broadband-nows-100-financing-pura?published=t
NOW Corp., a listed company in the Philippine Stock Exchange, announced that one of the country’s top medical institutions has completed the upgrade of its broadband connectivity so it can provide faster Internet connection to its stakeholders—primarily to the patients and to their families.
Metropolitan Medical Center, a medical-care institution right in the heart of Binondo in Manila, turned to NOW Corp. for the upgrade of its broadband connectivity so it can accommodate higher bandwidth requirements.
The upgrade is part of Metropolitan Medical Center’s mission to provide world-class medical services at the most affordable cost to its patients, most of which reside in Manila and the Chinatown areas.
The hospital wasted no time in upgrading its Internet capabilities to improve overall hospital operations, which is part of the total customer service satisfaction. With a more reliable and faster Internet connectivity, the hospital’s administration, finance and other important offices now have the liberty of streamlining its operations and processes, such as documentation, digitization of x-ray films and other paper-dependent documents.
Engr. Manuel L. Umali, Metropolitan Medical Center’s information-technology (IT) manager, said with the network upgrade that guarantees Internet connectivity, the hospital’s patients and their visiting families and guests will be able to enjoy faster Wi-Fi access. “It will be plus points for us from a service standpoint since our patients and their guests can now enjoy surfing the Internet at blazing speeds, while getting faster access to audio and video apps such as Facetime, Viber, Skype, Facebook or Snapchat at the comfort of their rooms. This means their relatives abroad who won’t be able to visit them will be provided with real-time updates about their hospitalization. We are also improving our operations by way of sending x-ray and other documents in digital format. We’re glad that all these upgrades in our services have materialized, which is part of the hospital’s total health-care service initiatives in going the ‘extra mile’ to provide our patients the topnotch service they deserve,” Umali said.
The hospital, thus, became an addition to NOW Corp.’s network of interconnected establishments in its so-called Broadband Superhighway, where large enterprises in the country can now look forward to fiber-in-the-air and fiber underground Internet services. This is part of the promise of NOW Corp. to big businesses: a digital transformation process integrating high-value IT products and services and wireless cable TV together with guaranteed broadband connectivity.
NOW Corp. has been a major IT firm since 2002. It has served blue-chip companies Towers Watson, UCPB, Coca-Cola, SC Johnson, International Shared Services, BDO, Chinabank, Philippine National Bank, Golden Arches Development Corp. (McDonald’s), Phinma Group of Companies and SM Retail.
“Our strength is that we come from an IT background entering into the broadband business. We understand the fuel of growth of an enterprise, the need to combine all of the available and most efficient software tools available in the market, all integrated into a digital transformation approach,” said Kristian Alisasis Pura, NOW head of Enterprise Marketing.
However, Pura was quick to point out that NOW Corp.’s position in the market is to be a redundant or alternative to incumbent broadband providers at a fraction of the cost and faster to deploy. “We have no intention of replacing the big players,” Pura said.
Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/2016/08/30/metropolitan-medical-center-ups-its-service-with-broadband-connectivity-from-now-corp/
Upgraded network infrastructure is part of the digital transformation for buildings luring
demanding locators
11 August 2016, Manila, Philippines — NOW Corporation, a listed company in the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE Ticker: NOW) announced that it has successfully completed the upgrading of the network infrastructure of a major edifice in Makati City. The building, PET Plans Tower, a 29-storey tower located along EDSA in Guadalupe, Makati City, is among the first to digitally transform through NOW’s network infrastructure services, equipping it with fiber-in- the-air broadband that complements its fiber underground. With this completed upgrade, PET Plans Tower will now be able to provide its existing and future tenants with guaranteed Internet connectivity speeds bundled with wireless cable TV and high-value IT products and services. “As more commercial and residential buildings rise at an exponential rate, and as more tenants of these buildings become more bandwidth-hungry to connect their multitude of devices to the Internet, our objective is to make these buildings ‘future-ready’ now. We’d like to make its wiring structure for bandwidth be able to handle and maintain guaranteed broadband flow to and from their tenants’ units,” bares Kristian Alisasis Pura, Head of Enterprise Marketing of NOW Corporation. Pura also explained that property managers and real estate developers should take control their property’s bandwidth needs, from which they should earn enormous revenues. “We partner with building owners and real estate developers to own a piece of the telecom service business by selling bandwidth connectivity to tenants. In short, with NOW’s shared economy concept, they become profitable “building ISP”. Their contribution to the joint venture is to upgrade their in-house infrastructure or turn to NOW for their network upgrade. They can then simply charge tenants for the bandwidth, which is theirs anyway, just so they are assured of reliable Internet connection. Their tenants expect nothing less.” To help upgrade or transform their building into Triple-A grade in terms of connectivity, NOW provide free in-building inspection, in-house wiring assessment and budget formulation. With its network infrastructure upgrade now completed, ESL Tower Condominium Corporation, the company that manages PET Plans Tower, is now poised to accelerate its lead as one of the forthcoming BPO/KPO buildings. They can now service current tenants with reliable broadband Internet and take in large enterprises that need a more reliable broadband connectivity, including BPOs and KPOs. For the BPO industry that is expected to grow beyond US$25 billion, Pura said buildings do not have any choice but to follow where the money in real estate chooses to go; thus, an upgrade of building infra is crucial. NOW Corporation has been a major IT firm since 2002. The company served blue-chip companies including Towers Watson, UCPB, Coca-Cola, SC Johnson, International Shared Services, BDO, Chinabank, Philippine National Bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Golden Arches Development Corporation (McDonalds), Phinma Group of Companies and SM Retail. NOW Corporation offers guaranteed Internet connectivity via the usual monthly pricing scheme, with bracketed service fees depending on speed requirements. Among its high value services include:- Connectivity – from 30Mbps to 700Mbps
- Collaboration – comes with 1TB cloud storage, mobile sync access, calendar, task management, online meetings of up to 200 participants.
- Content Distribution – broadcast of content through desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile devices with social media integration
- Channel Development – publish enterprises’ content and push to their respective customers/stakeholders
- Cybersecurity – secure network infrastructure and implement measures on how to protect the network from potential hacking
- Configuration of Network Infrastructure – upgrade or transform the building’s infrastructure and prepare to accommodate large bandwidth requirements, which it provided to ESL Tower Condominium Corporation
By Myla Iglesias
August 11, 2016
by Dennis Estopace
BREAKING the chokehold by two companies on the country’s telecommunications sector is now up to government, according to Now Corp. CEO Mel V. Velarde.
Velarde said one of the ways the Duterte administration can do so is for the Supreme Court to finally decide on his company’s petition for a 3G license.
“It’s been nine years and some of the players involved in that petition has either been bought or folded,” Velarde told reporters after a news briefing on Wednesday. “We’re the only one left.”
According to Velarde, the listed technology firm is ready to roll out investments once Now Corp. gets the license.
“In a year’s time, we can start rolling out about 300 cellular sites,” he explained. “That would be good for poor Filipinos because it may mean lower prices in mobile broadband access.”
Velarde expects to become a “strong third-player” in the telecommunications sector currently dominated by Globe Telecom Inc. and PLDT Inc.
He added that the company would give the voice and text business to the two firms.
“Ibibigay na namin sa kanila ‘yon,” Velarde said adding the company’s telecommunications subsidiary would concentrate on data.
According to Velarde, the broadband services to enterprise market alone is worth $25 billion.
And that is only being generated by the business-process outsourcing sector, he said. “There’s the second $25 billion, which is generated by remittances by overseas Filipino workers.”
Velarde said the company promises to deliver two things: no overloading and no maximum data cap.
Velarde is challenging the two telcos to disclose the frequency being used by each of their respective cellular sites.
By doing so, he said, the public would be aware how much frequency these companies have but are not using.
Likewise, Velarde said government should look into how these companies acquired these frequencies.
“They got these for free,” he said. “[The] government should at least earn something from these frequencies.”
Velarde believes Filipino consumers should not be short-changed, as “they have the purchasing power greater than what they have six or nine years ago.”
“As long as you offer them quality services, we believe the Filipino consumer would pay even if the service is a little more expensive.”
According to Velarde, the company is putting in $30 million once it receives its license. He said the fund would mostly go into the putting up of cellular sites, which is estimated to cost at $150,000 each.
Velarde said they are open to accomplishing the goal of putting up 300 cellular sites with a foreign partner.
“We’ll let you know who when we get the license.”
Source: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/2016/08/10/freeing-telco-sector-up-to-government-velarde/
By: Daxim L. Lucas
Smarting from last February’s $81-million computer heist in its central bank, the Bangladeshi government has ramped up efforts to boost its security capabilities, which includes learning about best practices from the Philippine private sector.
Ranking Cabinet officials from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh recently visited the country to learn about the ins and outs of the business process outsourcing (BPO) and information and communications technology (ICT) industries, especially on issues involving cybersecurity. Their top concern was the need for clear strategic directions on cybersecurity initiatives.
The visit was organized by the Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication (AIJC) in collaboration with Management and Training International (MTI) Limited in Bangladesh. It included workshops and visits to private, government and academic institutions like the ICT Office of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), KLab Cyscorpions Inc., Asia Pacific College, Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) and Now Corp.
During his lecture on this topic, Mel Velasco Velarde, CEO of Now Corp. and AIJC, discussed specific cases of security breaches experienced by big multinational firms such as Facebook, Wall Street Journal, Ubiquity, Barracuda, LinkedIn, Harmony and others including government-induced errors in cybersecurity.
Velarde emphasized the need for organizations to meet the 20-point “reasonable security” requirements prescribed by top global private and governmental cybersecurity agencies.
“Now Corp. has the capability of complying with these [security requirements] for our customers through our cloaking devices, real-time diagnostics and monitoring tools, counter-attack tools, cyber manpower and other technologies that help prevent hacking, malware, physical breaches or self-inflicted errors—the costs of negligence and non-compliance could run in the billions of pesos,” Velarde said.
He warned the security breach that happened to Bangladesh and elsewhere could happen again if these “critical security controls” were not complied with.
Now Corp. and AIJC committed to help the Bangladeshi government in their areas of expertise such as BPOs, knowledge economics, ICT and cybersecurity.
Velarde also pointed out how Now Corp.’s clients, mostly blue chip companies in the Philippines, were able to successfully implement the firm’s highly secure collaboration software and services, helping to ensure business success.
Velarde expressed willingness to partner with officials from various ministries as they develop and implement a strategic roadmap toward ICT and BPO development in Bangladesh.
Source: http://business.inquirer.net/211881/bangladesh-gets-antihacking-tips-from-ph-experts