THE PLDT Group on Monday lauded an initiative by the National Electrification Administration that will significantly reduce waiting times for bringing power to telecom towers in remote areas.

The NEA recently published Memorandum Order 2024-18, which provides guidelines for streamlining the energization process for telecommunications towers in areas covered by electric cooperatives. This would cut the processing time to 30 days.

"PLDT and Smart are proud to have worked alongside NEA, the Anti-Red Tape Authority, other mobile network operators, independent tower companies, and other government and private sector stakeholders in crafting these guidelines, helping pave the way for the faster rollout of telco infrastructure across the nation and ultimately boosting the government's country-wide digitalization thrust," said Pamela Felizarta, head of Joint Strategic Operations at Smart.

This support is aligned with PLDT and Smart's long-standing partnership with the government to narrow the digital divide and bring the benefits of the internet closer to more Filipinos across the country.

Previously, PLDT also supported ARTA's telco workshops, which sought to further address the bottlenecks in the permitting, licensing, and authorizing process to improve connectivity, particularly in far-flung areas.

PLDT also participated in the crafting of the implementing rules of Executive Order 32, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in July 2023, which streamlined the permitting process for the construction, installation, repair, operation, and maintenance of telecommunications and internet infrastructure in the country.

Recently, PLDT also expressed its support for the government's push to help more local government units digitalize and streamline their processes through the eLGU program.

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