But this is only the beginning, and it is not enough. The country also needs open competition. Today, PLDT is effectively the sole broadband provider. Without competition, prices remain high and the cartel in international leased lines remains intact. There are no winners in this monolithic market.
Competitive carriers face high costs, and a permanent check on growth is put in place.
Foreign investors are deterred. Consumers and corporate end-users alike are forced to make do with poor service and unnecessarily high prices. Every telco loses. This is ironic because no company is better positioned to profit from the explosive growth in end-user demand that will come from a massive expansion in the supply of external bandwidth. The country also needs to enact new, dynamic telecomuunications legislation.