Internet service is a basic utility
November 14, 2022CitizenWatch Philippines calls on our legislators to enact and institutionalize a telecommunications infrastructure code, acknowledging the fact that the Internet has evolved into a basic utility — as essential to the functioning of individuals, communities, and societies as water and electricity.
The proposed telco infra code would supplement the existing Building Code and could be used by real estate developers, both residential and commercial, in planning their projects and ensuring that connectivity becomes a basic provision for their buyers and tenants alike. The current Building Code is more applicable to construction and since it has been in place for a long time, it does not factor in connectivity needs.
Developers, in embracing a connectivity-is-a-basic-utility mindset, should lay down provisions for telecommunication equipment as early as the project’s planning stages, integrating connectivity with aesthetics.
“Fiberization,” as opposed to mere fiber overlays, is in order for existing developments. Telcos should be allowed to lay down fiber in the most efficient way without sacrificing quality. For new developments, the use of fiber should be the default mode instead of copper cabling. It is the property developers/ homeowner associations who should execute the fiber overlays using agnostic fiber.
Meanwhile, mall developers, offices and hotels should refrain from leasing out space to telcos for their equipment and charging them for activation and gross coverage area leases. It is the tenants and locators who would benefit from the telco provision, in the same way that they benefit from power and water provisions.
Developers should aim for 100% connectivity in all areas, not just in select spaces like common hallways. This is what it means to be customer-centric: that anywhere in the development and anywhere in the country, there is good and stable coverage. True digital transformation, after all, is holistic, consistent and reliable.