THE DEPARTMENT of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is expecting to deploy the second and third phases of the National Fiber Backbone by July.
“We are actually ahead of schedule for the second and third phase because these are expected to be deployed sometime later in 2025. I think before SONA (State of the Nation Address) we can complete these phases,” DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy told reporters on the sidelines of the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) event last week.
The National Fiber Backbone project targets to provide faster and reliable internet connectivity in the country. The DICT estimates around 70 million Filipinos will benefit from this project.
The second and third phases of the National Fiber Backbone cover southern Luzon and parts of the Visayas and Mindanao.
The first phase, which involves high-speed connections between Laoag, Ilocos Norte and Quezon City, was completed in April last year. It covers 1,245 kilometers with 28 nodes. It has an initial 600 gigabits per second optical spectrum capacity that will serve the government and at least 14 provinces, and two National Government data centers, the DICT said on its website.
“For phase 4 and phase 5, we have already secured a loan from the World Bank which we will use to accelerate the remaining phase,” Mr. Uy said.
In 2024, the DICT secured a $287.24-million loan from the World Bank which will fund the remaining phases of the National Fiber Backbone project.
The remaining phases of the National Fiber Backbone project will cover the Visayas and Mindanao, Mr. Uy said, adding that the loan proceeds would accelerate the project’s overall completion.
The completion of the project is also expected to spur growth in rural areas, especially in Visayas and Mindanao.
“So now, the project construction can go parallel now. I think we can complete this before our term ends,” Mr. Uy said.
The project is initially projected for completion by 2028, the DICT said. — AEOJ
