The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has played a crucial role in fostering competition and inclusivity in the Philippine telecom industry by enabling DITO Telecommunity to enter the market as a bona fide challenger, according to DITO Chief Revenue Officer Atty. Adel Tamano.
In an email interview with BusinessWorld, Tamano highlighted how regulatory support from the NTC has been instrumental in DITO’s growth.
“Our five-year expansion to meet the 84% technical audit requirement was made possible in part through the support of the NTC, especially during the pandemic,” Tamano said.
He cited the unprecedented challenges DITO faced during the height of COVID-19, including enforced lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, fieldwork restrictions, site acquisition, one of the cornerstones of building any telco network, became particularly difficult under these conditions, all the while working under a strict audit schedule,” he added.
Today, DITO has rolled out more than 7,000 cellular towers and has laid out a robust fiber optic backbone, enabling it to deliver fast, reliable, and affordable services to a growing subscriber base that has recently surpassed the 15 million subscriber mark. This is a milestone that Tamano attributes to a healthy and competitive industry landscape.
“The government, particularly the NTC, recognized the importance of DITO’s mission and our desire to be true partners in nation-building. They worked closely with us to ensure we had the support needed to succeed,” he said.
Now recognized as the fastest-growing telecommunications provider in the country and hailed as the Fastest Mobile Network in the Philippines by Opensignal, DITO positions itself as a major player in the national push for digital inclusion. Tamano emphasized that the company’s mission is aligned with expanding connectivity through emerging technologies, a vision made possible with continued regulatory guidance.
For the underserved, one notable initiative was the Sacol Project, launched with support from both the NTC and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). Through this project, DITO provided 4G services via microwave technology to Sacol Island in Zamboanga, connecting over 14,000 residents across four barangays.
“This was a meaningful nation-building effort that brought much-needed connectivity to a remote island community,” Tamano said.
Looking ahead, DITO is focusing on deploying next-generation technologies, including 5G and innovations such as RedCap, which offers scalable connectivity for emerging digital needs.
“With the help of the NTC, we are pushing the envelope in terms of new technologies and solutions for the country,” Tamano noted.
In line with its mission, DITO is committed to democratizing access to digital services.
“We’re working to lower the cost of access and enable quick, ‘cut-the-cord’ provision of internet services,” he explained, underscoring DITO’s goal of making digital connectivity more accessible to Filipinos, especially in underserved and remote areas.
With ongoing innovations and sustained investment in network infrastructure, DITO aims to set new benchmarks in the Philippine telecommunications industry.
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