A German-based biometrics company has tapped Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. to provide connectivity for the new online portal of the  Land Transportation Office (LTO). 

According to Dermalog Identification Systems GmBH, PT&T will ensure an optimized network and connectivity setup of LTO’s newly launched portal.lto.gov.ph, which allows the public to process their driver’s licenses, motor vehicle registration, payment of apprehensions with various payment channels and other transactions via online. 

The new portal, which was co-developed by LTO and Dermalog  aims to lessen the face-to-face transactions amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country. 

Initially available to 24 pilot sites across the Philippines, the LTO Online Services will dramatically reduce in-person transactions, optimize LTO operations,  and cover more areas in the country.

PT&T will also provide 24/7 support and coordination with LTO. 

“Our partnership with PT&T on the connectivity component has been a crucial part of our service. It allows our team to focus on the other critical aspects of the system.  We thank PT&T’s excellent support for that,”  Gunther Mull, chief executive and founder of Dermalog said.

PT&T for its part, has expressed its gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the success of the project. 

 “We are one with Dermalog in supporting LTO’s mission of improving services to Filipinos through technology. This endeavour is consistent with PT&T’s mission to be a part of the country’s digital transformation,”  James Velasquez, PT&T president said.

“We will always strive to innovate within the Telco industry as we continue to build on PT&T’s legacy of innovation that stretches back to 1962,” he added.

With the success of the initial roll out for the pilot LTO sites, the team is looking to expand the online service to cover other areas in the Philippine archipelago.

PT&T launched its IT Services division in mid-2019 in a bid to offer IT solutions to compliment its connectivity offerings for private businesses and government institutions. 

Currently, PT&T has a network reach of 13,500 fiber kilometers in high-growth areas and covers almost 40 percent of the total Philippine population. 

PT&T holds a 25-year franchise which allows the company to establish, maintain, and operate both wired and wireless telecommunications systems for domestic and international communication in the country.