NGCP, DICT ink lease agreement for national fiber backbone

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which operates the Luzon Grid, on Wednesday inked out an agreement to lease out its infrastructure, including its network and substations, for the national fiber backbone (NFB).

Under the agreement signed by NGCP chief executive officer Anthony Almeda and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Ivan John Uy, the grid operator’s private telecom network infrastructure will be used for the NFB.

This will facilitate the laying out of fiber optic cables in 23 strategic sites across Luzon, and will help enable the deployment of a national broadband infrastructure which will enable the government to leverage a two-terabyte connection from the eastern seaboard.

“We are pleased to stand as a key contributor to the National Fiber Backbone Project of DICT, a transformative initiative that aims to yield tangible benefits for the Filipino people,” Almeda said in a statement.

“The signing of the Specific Site Lease Agreement will lead us closer to providing lightning-fast broadband connectivity to Filipinos,” DICT’s Uy added.

The National Broadband Plan Phase 1 involved the activation of 26 nodes from Laoag in Ilocos Norte to Roces in Quezon City using the NGCP’s dark fiber. Subsequent phases are set to extend the network reach to connect to more regions across the country.

The two parties in August 2022 signed an agreement to co-locate facilities in the grid operator’s infrastructure, in efforts to implement the National Broadband Plan.

DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy earlier this month said the NFB cable stations of the Philippines connecting to those in Los Angeles, California are set to be up and running by March.

He also said the DICT has put up over 13,400 free wifi sites across the country, located mainly in barangay halls or public elementary schools. The department ended 2023 with some 25,000 sites, which it plans to double this year.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte in August 2017 signed Republic Act 10929, also known as the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, mndating that the government should provide free internet access in public spaces across the country.—AOL, GMA Integrated News