Philippines launches ultra high-speed internet project

November 15, 2017

The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), launched on Wednesday a project to build an efficient government internet project.

In partnership with Facebook, Strategic Engagement and Collaboration to Undertake a Reliable and Efficient Government Internet (SECURE GovNet) aims to build the Luzon bypass infrastructure, an ultra high-speed information highway that will mprove speed, affordability, and accessibility of broadband internet across the archipelago, PCOO said in a press statement.

The BCDA will build the infrastructure, consisting of two cable landing stations connected by a 250-km long cable network corridor, which will leverage the geographical advantage of the Philippines by providing a terrestrial bypass route for international submarine cable owners seeking diversity from the Luzon Strait.

"The cable will provide direct connections from Luzon to internet hubs in the United States and Asia," DICT Officer-in-Charge Eliseo Rio Jr. said.

As the first party to utilize the infrastructure, Facebook will construct and operate a submarine cable system that will land in the cable stations on the East and West Coasts of Luzon.

"In exchange for utilizing the bypass infrastructure, Facebook will provide the Philippine Government with spectrum equivalent to at least 2-million megabits per second (Mbps)," Rio said.

This 2-million Mbps (or 2-terabyte per second) capacity, Rio added, is almost equal to the current combined capacity of Globe and Smart-PLDT, making the government virtually a third player in the telecommunications industry.

SECURE GovNet is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to develop a national broadband plan, which will enable the government to significantly reduce internet cost and improve internet speed.

The project will also facilitate the implementation of the government's connectivity programs, such as the Free Public Internet Access, the National Government Portal, and other information and communications technology projects of government line agencies and local government units.

Rio and BCDA president and chief executive officer Vivencio Dizon, representing the Philippine government, officially sealed the agreement with Facebook's sourcing manager Nico Roehrich.

"We are signing the agreement with Facebook and BCDA to build the government's first cable landing stations under the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Project," Rio said.

"It's a game changer. It's going to change the way we communicate in our country, and it's going to alleviate the daily struggles of people with respect to the internet," Dizon added.

The event was also graced by Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Presidential Adviser for Economic Affairs Ramon Jacinto, Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. DMS