LGU pandemic restrictions slowing PLDT upgrades

Telecom giant PLDT Inc. said hundreds of areas across the country remain inaccessible to their personnel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, slowing crucial installation and repair activities needed to improve service quality.

PLDT said in a statement it wrote Information and Communications Secretary Gregorio Honasan II and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año for easier access to over 300 sites amid quarantine rules imposed by local government units.

These areas include Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon, Rizal, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Palawan, Iloilo, Capiz, Samar, Misamis Oriental and Zamboanga del Norte.

“The PLDT Group would like to respectfully appeal to the DICT and DILG to direct LGUs (local government units) and other concerned sectors to enjoin their immediate cooperation in granting the PLDT Group access to its facilities within their respective areas to conduct critical works,” it said in the letter.

PLDT said quarantine restrictions imposed by LGUs hampered critical activities including service restoration, maintenance, installation works, capacity expansion, replacement and upgrade of critical facilities.

The request to the national government comes after President Duterte demanded better service quality from PLDT and Globe Telecom by the end of 2020.

“Many of our customers have been affected by the pandemic and the lockdowns. We are here to help them get back on their feet by making sure that our quality services are always available to them,” Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart president and CEO and PLDT CEO, said.

“We can only do this if we can continue to broaden and improve our network infrastructure,” he added.

PLDT is rolling out more towers and laying down fiber cables boost its networks.