THE pronouncement of the National Government to open investments for the Philippines’ telecommunication industry is seen to help in the creation of “digital cities.”
Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, former president and current trustee of the National ICT Confederation of the Philippines (NICP), said the move of President Rodrigo Duterte offering China the privilege to operate the third telecom carrier during his recent bilateral meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is a positive development.
Batapa-Sigue, also the executive director of Bacolod-Negros Occidental Federation for Information and Communications Technology (BNEFIT), said this is good news for ICT industry.
“It is a welcome development also to the overall aspiration of the national government to create digital cities through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT),” she added.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a report, said the investment venture with China would break the “duopoly” in the telecommunications industry that has frustrated consumers for years.
The Philippines’ data and voice services was reportedly among Asia-Pacific’s slowest and most intermittent, which prompted Duterte to warn existing providers Globe Telecom and PLDT to shape up or face new competition.
The report said the President’s offer to China came as the government and Facebook affiliate Pacific Light Cable Network signed an agreement on the “Luzon Bypass” project, which is expected to improve internet connectivity in the country.
Roque said the project would provide bandwidth of two terabits per second or equivalent to the current capacity of the two telecommunications companies.
The President made the offer to China since it has the capital and technology to provide an “efficient” telecom service, he added.
Batapa-Sigue said stronger and stable connectivity especially in the countryside, including Bacolod City, will create greater opportunities for the industry.
“It will pave the way to creation of more jobs and investments,” Batapa-Sigue said, adding that the push to develop “digital cities” hugely rely on efficient internet connectivity.
