The Philippines’ newly founded Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has ordered the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to allocate spectrum to NOW Telecom.
An order dated 1st March from ARTA conferred its “automatic approval for the assignment by the NTC of certain frequencies which NOW Telecom needs as a CMTS [cellular mobile telephony services] licensee”, reports CommsUpdate.
According to local media, ARTA has ordered the NTC to take action as it has failed to approve or dismiss NOW Telecom’s application for spectrum, which was first filed in January 2006. The operator has provided all required documentation and paid the associated fees.
Accordingly, ARTA’s order states: “Thus, under Section 10 of Republic Act No. 11302 or the ‘Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018’ the said application or request for assignment of concomitant frequencies for the exercise of NOW Telecom’s CMTS [application] as attested to in NOW Telecom’s Affidavit of Completeness is hereby DECLARED COMPLETE, and is now deemed AUTOMATICALLY APPROVED by operation of law.”
NOW Telecom was quick to note that the order granted it a spectrum holding, noting: “As a result of ARTA’s order of automatic approval, NOW Telecom is assigned 220MHz radio frequencies, including 5G frequencies, for mobile and fixed-wireless by operation of law.”
