Formerly a sleeper market characterised by the cosy duopoly between Globe Telecom and Smart (PLDT), things became interesting in the Philippines in late 2017 when President Rodrigo Duterte decided to open up the country’s telecommunications sector by inviting foreign players to challenge the dominance of the incumbents. This was followed by a proposal for a common tower policy, opening the floodgates for international towercos to seek an entrance, grow their footprint, and make a mark in this virgin tower market. Globe’s recent announcement of its interest to divest all or part of its tower assets further fuelled excitement and the country is just one step away from appointing its third MNO, a game-changing decision that will revolutionise the Philippines telecom market.
