The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is aiming to complete 28 nodes under the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) Phase 1 within the year, a ranking official said.
DICT Undersecretary Emmanuel R. Caintic said during a Senate committee hearing that the agency is set to upgrade the digital infrastructure in the northern and central parts of Luzon towards the end of 2021.
“We are targeting to activate 28 nodes under the NFB Phase1 starting from Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Bulacan, Zambales all the way to NCR [National Capital Region],” he told senators on Monday.
NFB Phase 1 involves the lighting up of fiber on national electrical transmission systems to provide Internet connectivity to people within the area of transmission.
It is part of the larger National Broadband Plan, which in a nutshell will help democratize access to the Internet, especially in far-flung and underserved areas.
Aside from the NFB Phase 1, the agency, according to Caintic, is also targeting to deploy 4,463 free Wi-fi sites across the country towards the end of 2021.
“Similarly, we shall continue to pursue the provision of free wifi sites to more than 4,000 public places most especially vaccinate centers,” he said.
In the same hearing, senators approved the P34.63-billion proposed budget of the DICT for plenary discussion. The said proposal includes the unused P8.4 billion in spectrum users fee, a special account in its general fund.
DICT Secretary Gregorio B. Honasan II said the government ought to better “appreciate” the value and importance of digital transformation initiatives today, as they play a key role in helping people navigate through the pandemic.
“We have observed that the entire ecosystem is limited in the appreciation for ICT-driven connectivity that will allow us to manage effectively and proactively. The government has yet to fully understand that ICT is the future especially during the pandemic,” he said.