26 April 2024
The Philippine government has launched the first phase of its National Fibre Backbone (NFB) project, which it says will boost the country’s economy as well as its digital ambitions..png?lu=715)
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reports that NFB Phase 1 comprises a 1,245km cable network from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Roces, Quezon City. It connects 14 provinces across Northern and Central Luzon, Metro Manila, four Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) eco-zones, and two national government data centres. Phase 1 of the government-owned backbone includes 28 nodes and delivers an initial capacity of 600Gbps.
Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos, Jr said that the NFB “serves as the economic spine that props up our growth, and supports our development. More importantly, we understand that in order for Filipinos to reach their full potential, we must invest in a fast and reliable internet.”
NFB Phase 1 will help more than 340 national and local government offices connected to GovNet boost their overall operational efficiency and generate more than PHP145 million in potential annual savings.
“Additionally, it will extend a digital lifeline to more than 3,000 Filipinos and different Free WiFi Sites, enabling direct internet access for approximately 750,000 beneficiaries in Regions I, III, and here in Metro Manila,” said Marcos.
DICT will leverage the high-speed connectivity provided by the NFB to power last-mile initiatives like the National Government Portal (NGP) and the Broadband ng Masa Program.
The remaining five phases of the NFB are scheduled to be completed in 2026, at which point it will span 28,000km. Phases 2 and 3 could be completed as soon as the end of this year. The completed NFB will help increase the Philippines’ internet penetration rate from 33% to 65% and reach 70 million Filipinos. It also said the initiative would also lower the price of internet connectivity to as much as US$5.00 per Mbps.
