Mindanao links up to fiber backbone

MANILA, Philippines — The government’s own fiber backbone project has finally landed in Mindanao and is expected to deliver over 1,000 kilometers of broadband lines that can provide stable connectivity.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) yesterday kicked off in Mindanao the construction of the fourth and fifth legs of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB).

Information Secretary Henry Aguda said the project would bring more than 1,000 kilometers of fiber lines in Mindanao, home to some of the regions with the poorest connectivity.

Aguda said the fourth and fifth phases of the NFB would reach high-traffic cities like Bukidnon, Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Zamboanga. Initially, the NFB will speed up internet access in state offices, public schools and government-run hospitals.

Afterward, the project will be expanded to bring internet service to every barangay in the island. Aguda said this is particularly beneficial for cities like Butuan aspiring to draw more investors in the digital sector.

“Mindanao will no longer be the last to connect, (but) it will be among the first to lead, as this is the start of inclusive development and digital equity, justice and empowerment,” Aguda said.

Once the NFB is completed, it will introduce connectivity to 772 previously unserved barangays, and will trim the digital gap in Davao Region and Caraga to 20 percent.

Aguda urged authorities and communities to maximize the NFB for good use, employing its service for education and livelihood, and to protect the fiber cable of the infrastructure.

“Watch over the fiber lines and do not allow them to be damaged or stolen. Use the technology for good, for business, for education,” Aguda said.

In the future, the DICT plans to install support assets around the NFB in Mindanao to expand its coverage and improve service. The NFB will also link to submarine cable projects in Visayas to enable quicker data transfer across the archipelago.

The NFB is part of the P16.1-billion Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project, a priority program of the Marcos administration.

The project, which is financed by the World Bank,  seeks to extend the NFB to Visayas and Mindanao to bridge the digital divide by bringing connectivity to the countryside.