MOTC engages in a dynamic meeting with development partner PHILCOMSAT

MOTC engaged more dynamic and inclusive stakeholders meeting with Philippine Communications Satellite Corporation -PHILCOMSAT, a development partner headed by Dr. Jimmy Hao, along with several business associates and partners. The team visited the Ministry on February 8, 2022, to discuss the salient points of an overall planned consultation to establish the fastest telecommunication system satellite, bringing quality internet service to underserved island spaces of BaSulTa, and the Geographically Isolated Displaced area (63 barangays) of North Cotabato to help address connectivity issues that are not too cheap nor expensive on the budget.

PHILCOMSAT currently provides satellite communication services for the Philippine government and, in partnership with Australian satellite services supplier Speedcast International, is a primary installer for and provider of President Rodrigo Duterte's "Free Wi-Fi For All” project administered jointly by the United Nations Development Programme and the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT).

PHILCOMSAT proposed to install 450 sites in BARMM. Each satellite could serve three Wi-Fi access points with 25 Mbps to have better and clearer reception. It also aimed to put up 166 GPS and 1GPS fiber knots in the MOTC router to speed up the connection.

To better present the status of the island municipalities with no access, there are municipalities from Basilan, 11 island municipalities from Sulu, and nine from Tawi-Tawi, and the Taganak island also targeted with the opportunity to install satellite internet access with faster speeds.
A more intent development plan was scheduled that further deals with the study of establishing internet service connectivity in island provinces in the future.