Digitel to expand wireless landline to VisMin

MANILA, Philippines - Digitel’s wireless landline service SunTel is setting its sights on expanding to Visayas and Min-danao to provide reliable, affordable and unlimited landline service in those areas.

Once completed, the VisMin transmission network will be linked to Digitel’s Luzon transmission facility, thereby creating an extensive nationwide communication network. SunTel is currently available only in Metro Manila and the whole Luzon.

Digitel spokesperson Atty. Bill Pamintuan said they are working on launching Suntel’s wireless landline service in VisMin by the first quarter of 2011. “We are positive we could duplicate the success we have in Luzon to the provinces down south,” he said.

“We want those in Visayas and Mindanao to experience the convenience of unlimited landline service that we have been providing our subscribers in Metro Manila, and Luzon,” he added.

Pamintuan explained that the wireless landline will work anywhere there is Sun Cellular coverage. “We will be using Sun Cellular’s nearly 7,000 cell sites all over the country to provide wireless landline services. What we are working on closely though is establishing local interconnection with other telecom companies with presence in Visayas and Mindanao to ensure seamless and practical communication services for our subscribers,” he said.

Local interconnection between two telecom firms allows a landline subscriber of one telecom company to make a call to a subscriber from another telecom company within the same province without having to pay long-distance rates.

Pamintuan said they have already established an interconnection agreement with Globe Telecom in Cebu, and then would start the same process in Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Gen. Santos City. Digitel is also currently negotiating with PLDT for interconnection in the said areas.