Philippine operators PLDT and Globe are making another attempt to convince the government to reallocate a portion of the 700-MHz band to them, instead of leaving the entire band under the control of San Miguel Corporation (SMC).
The operators have filed a request with the Philippine Competition Commission to probe SMC's control over the band, arguing that it is anti-competitive, the Standardreported.
PLDT has called on regulator NTC to reallocate the band for the benefit of the country and the telecom ministry.
Globe and PLDT have been arguing since 2005 that the scarce resource should not be in control of one company, and have renewed their efforts this year.
The operators also argue that Thailand is the only other country in APAC with major issues that have prohibited the allocation of the band for mobile broadband.
But in November the regulator indicated that SMC is likely to be allowed to hold on to its 700-MHz spectrum on the grounds that the regulator does not have a good legal basis to recall the spectrum.