By ; Bakinam Khaled

The Philippines’ much-anticipated newcomer DITO Telecommunity has passed its technical audit, paving the way for a commercial launch in March.

The NTC (National Telecommunications Commission clocked minimum broadband speeds of 85.9Mbps on DITO’s 4G network and 507.5Mbps for its upcoming 5G network.

Elaborating further, the regulator confirmed that the peak speeds achieved for 4G and 5G respectively were 102.4Mbps and 769.1Mbps, although it noted that these were registered near base stations and that at longer range the figures stood at 64.4Mbps and 316.5Mbps, again respectively. Average speeds were around 91.0Mbps for 4G and 437.1Mbps for 5G.

To conduct the audit, the regulator tested sites at random from DITO’s installed base of 1602 sites. While these technically cover 37.5% of the Philippines’ population, the NTC noted that “there are still no subscribers in the network at this time” as the operator has not yet launched.

Ahead of its planned launch, TeleGeography reports that DITO has reached a cooperation agreement with PLDT to build an interconnection point for subscribers, scheduled for completion by the end of March. PLDT will manage the facility, while DITO CTO Rodolfo Santiago has confirmed that an equivalent interconnection with Globe Telecom is also being established.

For its part, Globe has stepped up its 5G deployment, increasing the number of live sites from 1045 at the end of 2020 to 1069 at the end of January 2021.

Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu said: “We want our customers to unlock the many possibilities and potential that 5G technology brings. Getting the 5G service to more customers supports our vision of empowering Filipinos to create the quality of lives they want.”

With 848 sites live across Metro Manila and Rizal together with 221 sites in Visayas and Mindanao, Globe’s 5G network also provides services in additional regions such as Aklan, Bulacan, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Iloilo, Laguna, Misamis Oriental and Negros Occidental.