Konektadong Pinoy IRR released in 30 days – DICT

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) plans to release in 30 days the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, as it rushes to entice new providers to invest in the Philippines.

Information Secretary Henry Aguda will call for an industry summit lasting at least two days to complete the IRR of the Konektadong Pinoy Act, which became law last Sunday.

The DICT had prepared a draft IRR before the measure lapsed into law. This will be presented to telcos during the summit for their review and feedback.

“All of the telco operators, we will call them for a telco summit, a two-day workshop, where we will hear their issues on the IRR of Konektadong Pinoy Act. Hopefully, in 30 days, we’ll finish the IRR,” Aguda told The STAR.

Aguda wants to publish the IRR within 30 days instead of maximizing the 90-day deadline, as he believes it would be good for the law to impact the economy immediately. He said investors who plan to operate in the Philippines can firm up business decisions before the year ends.

The DICT said it has received inquiries from data transmission industry participants (DTIPs) who can provide connectivity services by fiber and satellite.

These DTIPs, Aguda said, are waiting for the Konektadong Pinoy Act to take effect so that they can set up shop in the country without having to go through the usual red tape.

The Konektadong Pinoy Act seeks to build up telco competition for the benefit of consumers by removing the requirement to apply for a congressional franchise.

As such, Aguda is banking on the law to attract more players in the telco industry. These DTIPs will be asked to bridge the digital divide by placing network assets in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

Based on the DICT’s mapping, broadband coverage in the Philippines has reached barely half of the population to date. Even mobile connectivity is far from serving every barangay, the gap still at about two-thirds of the requirement, particularly in GIDAs.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that only 48.8 percent of Filipinos have access to the internet as of 2024, with penetration peaking in Metro Manila and Central Luzon.

However, once the data point to the south, internet penetration rates go as low as 21.2 percent and 27.7 percent in Zamboanga Peninsula and the Bangsamoro, respectively.

Further, Aguda noted that telcos and independent tower operators manage around 30,000 cellular sites, but the archipelago is in need of as many as 90,000.

The Konektadong Pinoy Act is also seen to bring in a new generation of big spenders in network buildup, as the country’s existing telcos start to decrease capital expenditures. Telco giant PLDT Inc. is slashing capex to the P50-billion level by 2026, while Globe Telecom Inc. already did this year.

Converge ICT Solutions Inc. CEO and co-founder Dennis Anthony Uy is urging the DICT to tighten the screws of the IRR. He said the IRR should clarify the law’s regulatory and security standards, both of which were consistently flagged by telcos.

“Too often, commitments are made but services are not delivered to the people, [and] this shows that standardization is very important,” Uy said.

“Every operator must have capability to protect their networks, [and they] must have systems in place to protect against spam, scams and other cyberthreats,” he added.

As protocol, the President can either sign or veto a bill within 30 days upon enrollment, and if no action is taken, it would lapse into a law.