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GLOBE Telecom Inc. said the proposed cut in the access charges for
voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services may have adverse
economic effects.
A cheap alternative to traditional telephony,
VoIP involves transmitting voice calls through the Internet making
it less expensive.
Froilan M. Castelo, Globe’s head for
regulatory affairs, said the proposed access charge of P1.50, or
$0.37 is significantly lower than global termination rates for fixed
and mobile telephony, which average $0.13765.
Given this, the dollar inflow telecom companies
derive from international settlements will “nose dive,” he said.
“Such could prove to be a devastating
financial blow especially to the small rural telephone operators and
consequently decelerate the growth of countryside
telecommunications,” he added.
The Globe official warned that overseas
communication taxes would inevitably decrease, thus diminish tax
collection.
“Considering then the adverse impact to the
economy due to the expected decrease in the dollar revenues of
telcos and the government’s collection of [overseas communication
taxes], we strongly suggest that this proposed measure be
submitted to the National Economic and Development Authority for
further analysis, “ Castelo said.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC)
plans to relax the access charges on VoIP services imposed by fixed
line and cellular phone operators to promote fair competition in the
industry.
Castelo however pointed to entities other than
VoIP service providers that seek access from network or facility
providers, including Internet service providers and business process
outsourcing centers.
The Globe executive said the lower tariffs
prescribed by the current draft memorandum circular do not fairly
compensate network or facility providers, which invest heavily in
these facilities.
Lastly, Castelo warned that the draft memorandum
circular may be unconstitutional, as the same cannot amend nor
repeal a legislative fiat such as Section 13 of the Republic Act
7925, which mandates a regime of bilateral negotiations in the
determination of access charges between interconnecting parties.
-- Darwin G. Amojelar
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