SC asks PLDT, Globe, NTC to comment on challenge vs frequency deal

MANILA - The Supreme Court ordered PLDT Inc, Globe Telecom and the National Telecommunications Commission to comment on a petition to nullify an agreement between the two carriers on co-use of frequencies.

The high court gave the respondents 10 days to comment on the legal challenge filed by lawyers Joseph Lemuel Baquiran and Ferdinand Tecson. The 2-page notice from the Supreme Court dated Nov. 6 was released on Friday.

PLDT and Globe acquired the 700 mHz frequency and 4 others from San Miguel Corp unit Vega Telecom for P70 billion in May 2016.

This deal allowed both telcos to control 75 percent of all assigned mobile radio frequencies in the country as of December 2017, the lawyers said in their petition.

Baquiran and Tecson also asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order to stop the 2 telco giants from using the frequencies.

San Miguel had hoped to partner with Australia’s Telstra to establish a third telco, until PLDT and Globe bought Vega in 2016.

Last week, a joint venture between China Telecom and Dennis Uy secured provisional rights to establish a third telco.