DICT eyes building more cell towers in 2024

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday announced plans to build more cell towers this year to ensure faster and more efficient internet connection in Filipino households.

In a statement, the DICT said there is a need to build over 30,000 cell sites as there are only around 12,000 independent common towers in the country.

The agency added that most of these cell towers are owned by private companies.

DICT Undersecretary Paul Joseph Mercado said good internet connectivity can be achieved if cell towers are close to each other.

"Depende rin 'yan sa technology, kasi kunyari 5G technology 'yan, kailangan mo rin dikit-dikit talaga ['yung mga cell towers]. Kung 'yan ay 3G lang pinag-uusapan natin o 2G, isang cell site napakarami na," he said.

(It depends on the technology. For example, if it’s a 5G technology, you need the cell towers to be close to each other. If it’s 3G or 2G, 1 cell site is enough.)

"It will vary, the number will vary depende dun sa technology," the DICT official added.

(It will vary, the number will vary depending on the technology.)

Meanwhile, DICT spokesperson Aboy Paraiso noted that cell towers have limited radius so its coverage depends on how near the households are.

“Depende sa radius nila. If more are within the radius, mas malaki siguro sa 4,000 households na 'yan. It's not really households ang batayan natin but the radius. Kilometers here ang batayan natin kung ilan ang maapektuhan at ilan ang maseserbisyuhan ng mga towers na 'yan,” Paraiso said.

(It depends on its radius. If more are within the radius, it can cover more than 4,000 households. It's not really households that we’re looking out for but the radius. Our basis is the kilometers and how many households these towers can serve.)

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has approved the P16.1 billion budget for the Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project which aims to boost the country’s broadband connectivity.

A research firm said the Philippines needs more investment to improve its internet connectivity and bring down its cost. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BAP, GMA Integrated News