DICT to use SJDM as pilot area for National Broadband Network

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) aims to use the city of San Jose del Monte (SJDM) as the pilot area for the National Broadband Network in Bulacan.

According to DICT Regional Director Antonio Edward Padre, SJDM will begin the National Fiber Backbone Phase 1.

He added that through this project, a state-owned internet connectivity service will be established and connected to other provinces, government offices, and data centers without relying on private telecommunication providers.

This is the first and only government-owned National Fiber Backbone in the country, spanning 1,245 kilometers from the City of Laoag in Ilocos Norte to the Roces District in Quezon City, covering the entire island of Luzon.

The initial 600 Gbps optical spectrum capacity is expected to provide a stable internet connection to the government for operations in Northern and Central Luzon.

The National Fiber Backbone also serves as a distribution line for the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure Project, which has a 240-kilometer fiber line connecting government-owned cable landing stations from Baler, Aurora, to Poro Point, La Union.

The project is a collaboration between the DICT, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, and the U.S.-based firm Meta to deliver around two million megabits per second (Mbps) of internet speed—50 times faster than the current 40,000 Mbps used in the country.