MANILA, The Philippines-Philippine telecom watchdog National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has granted Globe Telecom and Smart Communications permanent licenses to operate their respective businesses for the next 25 years.
NTC stated that the certificates of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) were given for Globe’s cellular mobile telephone service (CMTS), local exchange telephone service (LEC) and international gateway facilities (IGF), as well as to subsidiary Isla Communications’ mobile telephone business and landline telephone service. Islacom received the CPCN for its IGF much earlier.
Also granted was the CPCN for Smart’s mobile telephone operations, as well as for its IGF in metropolitan Manila, integrated LEC, domestic toll service and private line service.
A CPCN is only given once a private telecommunications company has successfully proven its legal, financial and technical capabilities in providing various telecom services to the public.
Prior to granting the CPCNs to Globe and Smart, both operated using provisional authorities (PAs) that had to be renewed every 18 months, and recently, every three years.
