The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has put faster and more robust Internet connectivity in the country at the top of its objectives for 2020.
The department said a key component of those targets is the expected commercial operational by the fourth quarter of 2020 of new telco player Dito Telecommunity. “[This] would result in improved quality of service, faster, and less expensive Internet connectivity,” it said.
The agency is also expecting the commencement of operation this year of the DICT-Facebook-BCDA Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) that will add 2TBPS of Internet connectivity for government use.
Also this year, the DICT is anticipating the initial use of the 7,200-kilometer dark fiber-optic cable of Transco and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for the government’s National Broadband Program (NBP).
A massive rollout of telecom infrastructure such as common towers is also seen boosting Internet speed in the country, with the DICT noting that the ICT sector received investments of more than P518 billion in 2019 – an amount almost equal to the combined investments of all other sectors.
The DICT is planning as well the activation of around 10,000 more access points for the “Free WiFi for All” program in underserved and unserved areas nationwide.
The agency also said more basic government services will reach more Filipinos this year with the expanded implementation of the Digital Philippine Program and the National Government Portal.
In the field of security, the DICT said the country can look forward to having a more secure cyberspace in accordance with the National Cybersecurity Plan.
The department said it also expects the implementation of a “data protection regime that is compliant with internal standards and that ensures the free flow of information”.
Lastly, the DICT said it intends to bring forward a “modernized telecom/ICT regulatory/policy regime that would result in more equitable allocation of spectrum, universal access, and infrastructure-sharing, among others.”
