The Marcos administration is putting its money where its mouth is. At least in the very sensitive and economically important area of broadband communications.
Last week, President Marcos Jr. led the grand launching of the National Fiber Backbone Phase 1 (NFB P1) aimed to increase internet connectivity service capacity to various provinces, government offices and data centers in the country. In his speech at the launching, the President reiterated his vision of bringing high-speed internet access to the country to create a more digitally-improved Philippines.
Nobody can gainsay that internet access can drive economic development through its impacts on both the supply-side and the demand-side of an economy. This is true in the Philippines and anywhere in the world. Digital connectivity can directly affect the productivity of firms, workers, and other inputs in the production process.
The President recognizes that the internet has become the backbone of trade, communications, transactions within and among communities. Because this backbone links us together, then it serves as the economic spine that props up our growth and supports our development.
Marcos declared: “I have made it clear since the start of my term that one of the top priorities that this administration recognizes is to create a Digital Philippines. We went to our people to–and we asked them what the problems were and their response was as expected. Our people want to receive fast, reliable, affordable internet services, and our agencies are equipped with the best information technology tools that are available.”
To attain these goals, the Department of Information and Communications Technology created the National Broadband Program (NBP), directed to provide necessary interventions, policies, and infrastructures to enable even the most remote areas to enjoy the benefit of having “modern and state-of-the-art connections.”
The NFB P1 is the first and only government-owned National Fiber Backbone in the country, which spans 1,245 kilometers and is composed of 28 nodes from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, down to Roces District in Quezon City.
The NFB P1 has an initial 600 Gbps optical spectrum capacity that will serve the needs of the government and the communities along the way, including at least 14 provinces in Northern and Central Luzon, two National Government Data Centers, and four BCDA ecozones.
The successful completion of Phase 1 will also empower 346 national and local government offices connected to GovNet, boosting their overall operational efficiency and generating more than 145 million pesos in potential savings annually. It will also extend a digital lifeline to more than 3,000 Free Wi-Fi Sites, enabling direct internet access for approximately 750,000 beneficiaries in Regions I, III, and NCR.
The BCDA, TransCo, NGCP, and the consortium led by Meta should be cited for producing such a long-term and multi-phase program, while looking forward to the completion of five more phases by 2026.
We are happy that the nation is keeping up with the rest of the world in terms of internet and digital connectivity.
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