UK’s Vodafone explores entering the Philippines telco market
British conglomerate Vodafone Group plc is exploring the possibility of entering the Philippine market as a new major telecommunications player. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Benjamin Diokno informed Vodafone officials of the Philippine government’s plan to introduce a third telco player during his official visit to London last week. Diokno said Vodafone hasn’t made its interest official, or whether the company will submit bid documents when the window opens on Nov. 7, but have informally expressed interest. During their discussions, Diokno said Vodafone officials also raised concerns on the ease of doing business in the country, ownership rules and pending measures in Congress. The government expects the third player to be selected before Christmas.
