ICT

The Philippines’ ICT industry is embarking on an exciting period as a number of reforms and initiatives take effect and Congress debates legislation for further market liberalisation. Weak competition and the archipelago’s sprawling geography have contributed to the ICT industry’s difficulties in keeping pace with other countries in the region in terms of the scale and quality of its services. At the forefront of developments in the industry is the entrance of a third telecoms provider. While this is threatening the existing duopoly, it is expected to increase innovation, speed and coverage. Telecoms infrastructure improvements, combined with a number of legal and regulatory changes designed to drive competition and improve the provision of ICT services, are also opening the door to lucrative opportunities for domestic and overseas players. This chapter also contains an interview with Andrés Ortola, Country General Manager, Microsoft Philippines.