The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) recently launched the Tower Watch PH. It is a monitoring system for telecommunication infrastructures construction in the country.
“Through the Tower Watch PH, we endeavor to “future-proof” our Common Tower Initiative by ensuring that our streamlining efforts in the previous years will not go to waste and continue to contribute to building a more far-reaching and robust ICT infrastructure in the country, regardless of changes in national leadership,” said DICT Secretary Gregorio “Gringo” B. Honasan II.
According to the DICT, the monitoring system seeks to complement the government’s initiatives in addressing the slow internet speed and lack of Internet connectivity in isolated areas due to the low number of towers, fiber backhaul, and fiber network.
The DICT is also hopeful that the new program would draw additional investment. This would enable the DICT to accelerate the delivery of nationwide access to broadband services.
Tower Watch will cover applications submitted by independent tower companies and telecommunications firms for the building or installation of Passive Telecommunication Tower Infrastructure (PTTI) or common towers, fiber optic cables, and installation of in-building solutions.
According to DICT, this would also allow oversight agencies to have access to the overall status of pending and completed applications, enabling them to monitor the compliance of the LGUs or offices and to ensure their cooperation with the prescribed processing times.
