The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it hopes to complete the second and third phases of the National Fiber Backbone by the end of the year.
“For the phases two and three, we are trying to finish it this year. The strategy is to get it all utilized,” ICT Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda told reporters.
The National Fiber Backbone project aims to provide faster and reliable internet connectivity. The DICT estimates around 70 million Filipinos to benefit from the project.
The two phases 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 2024. 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, according to the DICT.
Earlier this year, the DICT said it was expecting the second and third phases to be ready by July.
The DICT has obtained a $287.24-million loan from the World Bank to accelerate phases 4 and 5 of the project.
The completion of the project is expected to spur growth in rural areas, especially in the Visayas and Mindanao. — Ashley Erika O. Jose