PLDT Group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with DITO Telecommunity Corp. to pursue strategic resource-sharing initiatives aimed at expanding network coverage and improving connectivity for customers nationwide.
The agreement, signed by PLDT Inc., its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc., and DITO, provides a framework for collaboration in three key areas of telecommunications infrastructure. The initiative will be carried out through reciprocal resource sharing, with no monetary exchange between the parties.
Under the reciprocal macro site access arrangement, the companies will grant each other rights to use eligible tower sites.
The MOU also covers in-building solution colocation, allowing the parties to share telecommunications infrastructure in commercial buildings and other indoor locations. It also includes submarine cable capacity through Indefeasible Right of Use arrangements, enabling both companies to optimize the use of existing international connectivity assets.
The partnership is expected to maximize existing infrastructure, expand network coverage, enhance service reliability, and deliver a better connectivity experience for customers across the country.
“Connecting the country is a responsibility that we all share as Philippine telcos. This agreement reflects that, even as we compete in the marketplace, we can collaborate where it matters the most: accelerating digital inclusion, helping connect every Filipino, and creating greater opportunities for our people and our nation,” PLDT chairman and chief executive Manuel V. Pangilinan said.
DITO Telecommunity president and chief executive Eric Alberto described the partnership as a modest but meaningful step for both companies.
“This allows both companies to deliver much better services for all our respective customers. May this partnership blossom into many more things so that we can have meaningful results for our companies, and more importantly, for the betterment of services for all our respective customers,” he added.
The agreement reflects the companies’ shared commitment to strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure through greater industry collaboration.
Instead of building separate infrastructure in the same locations, PLDT, Smart, and DITO will maximize the use of existing macro sites and in-building facilities, reducing unnecessary duplication of network investments.
The arrangement is expected to allow the companies to deploy capital more efficiently, accelerate network expansion, deliver broader coverage, and provide more reliable connectivity for Filipino consumers while supporting a more resilient and future-ready telecommunications ecosystem.