THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it will seek a doubling in its budget for 2026 to aggressively pursue its connectivity and data center projects.
Funding is “around P17 billion now; (we’ll seek) almost double for next year,” Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay on Wednesday.
Much of the projected boost in funding “will be allocated to connectivity projects and IT skills development,” Mr. Aguda said via Viber.
“I am confident that we will get the support for our budget,” he said.
The DICT’s 2025 targets include connecting at least 90% of the country to the internet, from the current 85%.
Mr. Aguda said the DICT will roll out a satellite service to connect isolated and disadvantaged areas of the country.
In March, the DICT said it will overhaul the free Wi-Fi Program to make use of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
It announced plans to spend P6.5 billion annually to provide Wi-Fi access to more than 7,000 locations.
LEO satellites have the potential to increase internet capacity and reduce data transmission delays. Such satellites typically orbit at around 1,000 kilometers above the Earth.
Mr. Aguda said the DICT is also seeking to fund its data center program for next year.
In 2024, the DICT said data centers will require more funding to better handle the expected surge in data as the government digitizes. — Ashley Erika O. Jose