According to National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba, the Duterte government will be investing in broadband infrastructure for 2017.
“This is the first time that our administration will do this kind of thing. We’ll have a broadband owned and put up by the government,” Cordoba told the Philippines News Agency.
The NTC Commissioner said that plans for the national broadband system will be drafted in early 2017, with immediate implementation afterward.
Asked on how this new development will be affecting the current telecoms providers in the country right now, Cordoba said: “If for instance, the government would put up cell sites, there’s an option to have these leased by telco operators.” With this arrangement, the government will be shouldering some of the usual expenses telcos undertake when setting up cell sites.
Currently, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is evaluating its options with the help of industry players and experts.
Related: DICT to Present National Broadband Plan to the Senate
