The United States has partnered with a telecommunication company and provided P118 million ($2.15 million) funding to conduct a feasibility study in the Philippines for the development of a reliable and secured nationwide 5G mobile network.
US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink and Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Angelo Nuestro witnessed the signing of the funding agreement.
The deal was signed by NOW Telecom and Nokia Bell Labs Consulting during the recently concluded 10th US-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Manila on January 20.
NOW selected the New Jersey-based Bell Labs Consulting, part of Bell Labs, the research arm of Nokia, to conduct the study.
“This 5G grant demonstrates the US commitment to developing quality digital infrastructure and increasing access to affordable connectivity in the Philippines,” Kritenbrink said in his speech as the US aims to promote secure digital infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen economic growth and facilitate open digital societies.
Under the accord, the feasibility study will provide NOW Telecom with the necessary analysis, designs and plans for the phased implementation of the project.
It will also include the establishment of a 5G pilot network at multiple sites in Metro Manila to val date network performance, test 5G use cases, and provide data to inform larger scale deployment.
The project also aims to support the digital transformation of the Philippines by helping to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth, reliable and secure digital services from the country’s households and various industries, the US Embassy in Manila said.
