The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) plans to complete the final stages of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) project next year, two years ahead of schedule, to supercharge nationwide connectivity.

DICT Secretary Henry R. Aguda told reporters Wednesday that the government is eyeing completion by July, in time for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s next State of the Nation Address.

“Our commitment to the President is that Phases 4 and 5 of NFB will be finished before the next SONA. If we finish it (by then), it will be two years ahead of schedule,” Aguda said.

“If we don’t have the internet, we have no access to opportunity. We are building the national fiber backbone, Phases 1 to 3 have been completed, which means that we have a connection between Batanes and Tacloban. What’s remaining right now is Mindanao,” he said.

The DICT started the final stages of the NFB to bring high-speed internet connectivity across Mindanao last week. 

Under the P16.1-billion Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project, the remaining phases of the NFB will connect key Mindanao cities—including Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, Zamboanga, and Davao—through over 1,000 kilometers of government-owned fiber.

Backed by the World Bank, the NFB was designed to establish a government-owned high-speed fiber network that will serve as the backbone for public internet access, benefiting government agencies, public institutions, and underserved communities. 

Once completed, the network is expected to help reduce internet costs for consumers.