DICT aims to complete National Fiber Backbone phases by mid-2025 with World Bank loan

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) expects to complete phases 2 and 3 of the National Fiber Backbone project by mid-2025.

Phase 1 covers a 1,245-kilometer cable network from Laoag to Quezon City, delivering an initial 600 Gbps optical spectrum capacity and covering 14 Luzon provinces.

DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy stated that phases 4 through 6 may be expedited due to a $287 million loan from the World Bank for remote areas in Mindanao.

Uy noted that relying solely on annual government funding would delay completion until 2028, whereas the project aims to finish by 2027 with the additional support.

Organizers of the Fiber Connect APAC Conference 2024 praised the Philippine government's efforts to expand fiber connections nationwide.

Telco players like Converge are investing in fiber connections due to their sustainability and reliability compared to copper wires.