DICT sees Japan participation in broadband system; rules out China

THE GOVERNMENT is seeking Japanese aid for the feasibility study of the planned national broadband system which will point the next steps to implement the priority project.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte approved the establishment of a national broadband system on March 6, but left it to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to decide on the details and implementation of the project.

“We will be starting work on the feasibility study to be able to assess our direction and specify the details of the plan like which areas should we start with, which government assets to utilize, we’re getting funding for that ... it will be a bilateral arrangement,” DICT Undersecretary Monchito B. Ibrahim told reporters on the sidelines of the upcoming CommunicAsia2017.

“Definitely, it’s not China. [Japan], I think, yes. The arrangement also include technical support,” he added.

The project, flagged by DICT as one of its priorities, follows the $329.5-million National Broadband Network deal with China’s state-owned Zhong Xing Telecommunications (ZTE) Corp., which was abandoned in 2007 due to a corruption scandal which involves overpricing and anomaly in the procurement process.

The DICT is looking to finish the feasibility study on the national broadband project by “end of the year.”

Currently, the agency is in talks with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), on the possibility to utilize its “more than 5,000 kilometers” of fiber optic cables running from north to south which would fasttrack the project to have the system up and running in a year’s time.

“We’re also looking at other grids not under NGCP like the MRT, LRT lines, among others which are already there and we can tap,” Mr. Ibrahim added.

By the “second half” the DICT official said there could already be an approval from the firms who own the right of way, as well as the cables of NGCP.

The newly- created department submitted a proposal to the President in February, which contained recommendations for the broadband plan including DICT Secretary Rodolfo A. Salalima’s preferred “hybrid” infrastructure which will put up a “working physical infrastructure” — that the government intends to use to reach parts of the countryside not serviced by commercial telcos.

Since the government will build and manage the network, it could allow private companies to lease the network to serve far-flung or “missionary” areas. With its planned hybrid system, aside from renting out the infrastructure to telco operators, the “services of the telcos, including their physical components, may also be tapped as part of that broadband plan, whatever will be more cost-efficient for the government.” —