PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. yesterday expressed their support to government initiatives that will expand connectivity to unserved and underserved areas in the country.
This is in response to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who urged the private sector to work with the government in providing connectivity to Filipinos across the country, including those in far-flung areas.
“We at PLDT support the President’s vision for a digitally empowered Philippines, where technology uplifts Filipino lives, helps foster meaningful connections, enables livelihoods and businesses of all sizes, transforms government service and ultimately drives economic progress,” Manuel Pangilinan, PLDT chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), said in a statement.
The PLDT Group has continued to work closely with government agencies such as the Anti-Red Tape Authority, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), National Telecommunications Commission, among others, to streamline the process of securing permits for the construction and deployment of telco infrastructure.
PLDT said it has also been collaborating with local government units (LGU) across the country to enhance the delivery of government services through technology and to empower cities across the country to become “smart cities.”
Its ICT arm ePLDT works with the DICT to expand the implementation and user education for eGOV and eLGU Apps.
eGov PH is a comprehensive app that offers Filipinos access to many government services, while eLGU App provides citizens a frictionless and faster transaction such as, but not limited to, tax payment and business permit application which they would normally secure in the capital city or municipality offices.
At present, PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. covers 97 percent of the population with its Long Term Evolution and 5G network, which is part of the Philippines’ largest integrated network that includes PLDT’s 1.1 million kilometers fiber infrastructure.
