NOW Telecom secures USTDA funding for 5G

NOW Telecom has inked a funding agreement with the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for the rollout of a 5G network in the Philippines. In a filing dated 16 December 2022, NOW Telecom confirmed that the USTDA grant will be used to finance 5G mobile and fixed wireless networks to ‘advance critical digital infrastructure projects’. Going forward, the telco will work with Nokia of America and Nokia Bell Labs to design and plan a nationwide fifth-generation broadband network, as well as design and implement a pilot 5G network in Metro Manila.

In October this year NOW Telecom revealed it was looking to invest PHP7.8 billion (USD140.5 million) over the next ten years to build out an additional 100 base transceiver stations (BTS) and develop its digital infrastructure. The additional stations are planned for Mega Manila to cover gaps in its coverage; it has around 50 BTS mostly in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region. Meanwhile, as previously reported by TeleGeography’s CommsUpdate last month NOW Telecom confirmed talks with the USTDA to roll out a 5G network in the Philippines to ‘provide faster and more reliable digital services and increased broadband internet access for Filipinos countrywide’.