From their earlier announced 17 areas, Dito Telecommunity’s pilot commercial services will be available in 15 areas in the Visayas and Mindanao starting March 8.
The company admitted that their last week’s announcement of 17 initial locations was a “mistake”. Nonetheless, the list provided to the media on Tuesday showed the telco start-up’s plans to dedicate initial services in Cebu and Davao, the centers of business and commerce in Visayas and Mindanao, respectively.
By Monday next week, Dito will be online in the following areas:
Metro Cebu
1. Carcar
2. Cebu City
3. Consolacion
4. Danao
5. Liloan
6. Mandaue
7. Minglanilla
8. Naga
9. San Fernando
10. Talisay
Metro Davao
1. Panabo City, Davao del Norte
2. Tagum City, Davao del Norte
3. Carmen, Davao del Norte
4. Davao City
5. Digos City, Davao del Sur
Dito said 20 physical stores are being constructed. About 10 would be completed and opened next week to sell SIM cards, phone and broadband lines.
Dito Telecommunity, the third major telecommunications provider in the Philippines, is a consortium of Udenna Corporation and its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics Corporation of Davao tycoon and known ally of President Rodrigo Duterte Dennis Uy, and Chinese state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation, a parent company of China Telecom.
The company passed its first technical audit on February 2021. As of the last quarter of 2020, the telco said it has completed 859 cell sites out of the planned 1,600 sites that will cover 37% of the population. The company will offer its nationwide services by June 2021. Rommel F. Lopez