THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is ramping up efforts to provide free internet connectivity to more Filipinos, officials said on Monday, June 3.
In its celebration of National Information and Communications Technology Month, DICT said it targets to provide free WiFi for 40 million Filipinos by 2028.
DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy cited a study wherein only 33 percent of Filipino households have access to fixed broadband. In response, the agency has connected 8 million Filipinos from isolated barangays with the Free Wi-Fi for All program.
Dy said the biggest challenge is funding the program which requires approximately P60 billion to reach the target population.
âNandyan na ang National Fiber Backbone. Mas mapapamura natin ang cost ng WiFi with the National Fiber Backbone but even that would require funding,â Dy said.
The National Fiber Backbone is expected to increase internet connectivity in the Philippines.
Phase 1 of the project was launched in April connecting Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Roces District in Quezon City. Dy said Phases 2 and 3 have been bidded out and will extend the NFB to Bicol and some areas of Visayas.
The DICT is also hoping to launch the Phase 5 to extend internet connectivity to Mindanao. It said funding will likely come from the World Bank.
To bring down the cost of internet connection in the country, the DICT is also studying the feasibility of fiber optic sharing among telecommunication companies and internet service providers. (ABS-CBN News)
