The Philippines is expected to have faster internet once the proposed Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Project is completed by 2019, state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority said.
The project will have a capacity of 2 terabits per second, almost equal to the current combined capacity of Globe and PLDT-Smart.
The project, a joint effort of BCDA and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, involves the development of an ultra high-speed internet infrastructure, according to BCDA president Vince Dizon.
Dizon said the agency would build the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure to avoid the earthquake and typhoon-prone Luzon Strait that could include two cable landing stations in Baler, Aurora in the east and Poro Point in San Fernando, Pampanga in the west. The stations will be connected by a 250-kilometer cable network corridor.
The Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Project leverages the geographical advantage of the Philippines by providing a terrestrial bypass route for international submarine cable owners seeking diversity from the Luzon Strait, which has a history of multiple simultaneous submarine cable breaks.
BCDA estimated that the two cable stations alone would cost about P975 million.
The cable will provide direct connection to Luzon from internet hubs in the US and Asia.
The DICT will build the national backbone and provide the last mile connectivity as a part of its flagship programs that include the national broadband plan, free public WiFi and the national government portal.
“This in an integral part of national broadband plan which will enable the government to significantly reduce government internet cost and improve internet speed. All connectivity projects and government line agencies and LGUs will flourish now having an international gateway at low cost,” said DICT officer-in-charge Eliseo Mijares Rio Jr.
The government said with the project moving, it would achieve its goal to provide fee WiFi access to about 250,000 sites across the country.
Free WiFi access will be provided in public places like parks, public libraries, public hospitals, train stations, airports and seaports.
The DICT will operate the cable stations for five years, renewable for another 25 years while maintaining the facilities.
In exchange for utilizing the bypass infrastructure, Facebook will provide the Philippine government with spectrum equivalent to at least 2 million Mbps, significantly expanding the capacity available for the government’s connectivity programs.
