AboitizPower is offering to provide expertise in finding efficient solutions to the power needs of its infrastructure business unit Aboitiz InfraCapital and its partner, as the venture bids to be a provider to telecommunication firms to meet common tower requirements.

“We’re going to have a technology partner that will help us. It’s a foreign partner,” Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. chief operating officer Cosette Ca­nilao was quoted in a Philippine Star report.

Talks are still ongoing between the two parties. Canilao said the partnership may help the company improve its cyber defense capabilities.

The infrastructure unit of Aboitiz is similar to tower providers which telcos PLDT, Globe, and Mislatel can partner with for their tower projects.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) aims to have 50,000 towers in seven to 10 years under its common tower initiative.

“We’re hoping we can get the big chunk of the require­ments of the telcos. It’s to our advantage getting them as our clients and we’re hoping that we’re offering something that they need as well. We can help them roll out so many towers,” Canilao was quoted as saying.

The Aboitiz Group has existing poles in cities like Cebu, Davao, Cotabo, and Subic, said Canilao.

Canilao said possible deals are still being discussed between the company and three telcos.

“We’re waiting for the tower policy to come out first. We’re just making sure we are within the parameters whatever is the policy the government is going to set for the common towers,” Canilao said.

According to the Philippine Star report, the policy rules and regulations on common and shared infrastructure in the public telecommunications would be finalized this week and is set to be released next week.

The mandate and implementation of the common tower policy is seen to improve the mobile telecommunication services, internet reliability, and efficiency while being cost-friendly to consumers.

It is also seen to improve the management and services of telco companies, and provide fairer competition among other telco companies.