Telecommunication companies presented a blueprint to Malacañang to expand their network infrastructure in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) by 2028.
Th Private Sector Advisory Council’s (PSAC) Connectivity Plan Task Force (CPTF), headed by Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu, proposed the construction of new towers in remote parts of the country through a public-private collaboration in a recent meeting.
The groundbreaking initiative is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s’ pledge in his State of the Nation Address to bring connectivity to remote areas.
The proposal aims to bridge the digital divide by delivering essential telecom services to the Philippines’ most underserved communities.
Around 7,063 barangays are classified as geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), home to nearly 25 million residents.
Cu shared at the meeting that over 600 Globe cell sites were already operational in GIDAs as of 2024.
The country’s three mobile network operators (MNOs), including Globe, proposed to maximize utilization of existing towers and build new infrastructure in GIDAs in a major push to expand coverage.
The telcos also proposed to provide SIMs with data plans through government subsidy to unconnected Filipino households between this year and 2028.
The SIMs will include automatic monthly load seeding of 50 GB a year, which can cover the average usage of a five-member household. This ensures that even remote communities can be connected with mobile signals and the internet, enhancing their access to education, healthcare, government services, and economic opportunities.
“The telco industry is fully dedicated to leveraging our partnership within the industry and with the government to reach underserved areas where the private sector has been unable to build because of the negative cost to business,” Cu said.
“Once the government lays a bigger stake in our push for inclusive connectivity and invests in our proposal, this will mark a milestone in our collective aspiration for a Digital Philippines. Together, we will be able to create pathways to opportunities and essential services that can significantly improve lives,” he said.
The project, by maximizing the use of existing sites while strategically building new ones in underserved areas, will minimize overlaps among providers and optimize coverage across the country.
This allows each barangay in GIDAs to receive telco support from at least one provider, avoiding unnecessary competition and duplication of efforts in a single area.
