China Telecom backed joint venture Mislatel Corporation has been cleared to secure a congressional franchise to become the Philippines' third mobile player.
Mislatel, the joint venture established with businesses owned by Philippines tycoon Dennis Uy, has received congressional approval to acquire the franchise owned by Mindanao Islamic Telephone Co, the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The National Telecommunications Commission will now make preparations to issue a certificate of public convenience and necessity and an allocation of spectrum for the operator. The allocation is expected to be complete by mid-June.
But Mislatel will first be required to pay a 25.7 billion peso bond, which it will need to forfeit if it does not meet its rollout and other commitments to the government.
These commitments include achieving 84% population coverage within five years, and reaching a minimum average internet speed of 27Mbps within the first year of operations, increasing to 55Mbps after this time.
Mislatel won the selection process to become the market's third major player in November last year. But the company was recently forced to postpone its planned launch date in early 2021 due to delays receiving the congressional franchise.