The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has launched the Bayanihan SIM Project, an initiative aimed giving digital access to students and teachers in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs).
During a press briefing held Wednesday, June 4, at Malacañang, DICT undersecretary Paul Joseph Mercado announced that the agency will distribute one million SIM cards, each with a 25GB monthly data allocation, at no cost to qualified beneficiaries.
The project, which is also aimed at showing local telcos that there is business to be made in the countryside, prioritizes educators and learners in remote communities.
“This initiative is focused on building digital infrastructure, particularly in GIDAs,” said Mercado. “Through the use of cell signal technology and tower-based infrastructure, we aim to extend reliable Internet access to areas long left behind.”
The project is being implemented in close collaboration with the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) as part of a three-year connectivity program designed to serve the country’s most underserved regions.
The DICT and Neda will jointly identify GIDA locations for rollout, with the list to be published on the DICT’s official website.
Set to begin rollout between the end of Q2 and into Q3 of this year, the Bayanihan SIM Project has already completed its terms of reference (TOR) and distribution guidelines.
It forms part of a broader national strategy to stimulate private sector investment in remote areas by demonstrating viability and demand for telecommunications infrastructure.
“Telcos are often reluctant to invest in far-flung locations due to perceived lack of profitability,” Mercado explained. “DICT is stepping in first to build infrastructure, showing mobile network operators that these areas have commercial potential.”
