The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is planning to make the Internet accessible to more Filipino families as it vies to expand the numbers from today’s 44 percent to 60 percent by 2028.
Director for the National ICT Planning, Policy, and Standards Bureau, Maria Victoria Castro, during an interview on the sidelines of the regional stakeholders’ consultation on National Broadband Plan 2.0 and National Emergency Communications Plan, spoke about the program.
Castro said that, via the NBP 2.0, they will be able to “identify areas for collaboration” between the private sector and the government on how to upgrade and expand digital connectivity and advocate investments in telecommunications. Additionally, she said that, in promoting a better internet in the country, the NBP 2.0 will serve as a “blueprint of the deployment of fiber optic cable and wireless technologies.”
Hinting progress with the program, Castro stated that “60 percent of Filipinos will be connected to the internet by 2028,” according to their targets. Meanwhile, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) claims that 44 percent of Philippine households are connected to the Internet.
In guaranteeing the participation of both private stakeholders and government agencies, the DICT is rolling out a nationwide series of focus group discussions and consultations. The purpose of this is to harmonize efforts of private and public sectors and fix gaps for the enhancement of the digital infrastructure landscape.
After a successful run on Clark, Leyte, Zamboanga, and more recently Legazpi, the same program will be held in Cagayan, Tuguegarao, and the National Capital Region.
Source: PNA