ILOCOS REGION — The Ilocos provinces are now part of the initial phase of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) project, spearheaded by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which aims to improve internet reliability across the region. Mary Jane Nerona, DICT Ilocos Region officer-in-charge and chief of technical operations division, shared details about the project at the Bagong Pilipinas Roadshow held here on Monday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the DICT is collaborating with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to utilize dark fiber networks to extend internet bandwidth to remote barangays. The internet service will be routed from NGCP's fibers to DICT's points of presence, located in or near municipal halls or sites equipped with public free WiFi or wireless networks. The project plans to activate 28 nodes that will span from Laoag and Currimao in Ilocos Norte through Bantay in Ilocos Sur, and further to Bauang and Bacnotan in La Union, reaching as far as Sta. Barbara in Pangasinan and other Luzon provinces.
Launched nationwide on April 19, NFB Phase 1 involves a 1,245-kilometer cable network that will initially offer an optical spectrum capacity of 600 Gbps. This phase connects 14 provinces across Northern and Central Luzon, Metro Manila, four Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) eco-zones, and two National Government Data Centers. The DICT highlighted that with the activation of these nodes, high-speed internet will become accessible in underserved communities, enhancing opportunities in education, healthcare, and economic development.
The completion of the NFB's subsequent phases is scheduled for 2026, which will expand internet coverage from 33 percent to 65 percent and is expected to reach 70 million Filipinos, out of the current population of 115 million. The project also aims to reduce the cost of internet connectivity to as low as USD5 (approximately PHP290) per megabyte. In addition to improving internet access, the DICT is also focusing on increasing cybersecurity awareness through training and seminars for government workers, local officials, and students.