A three-year network infrastructure buildup plan to reach geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) by 2028 has been presented by telecommunications providers in the Philippines.

Construction of new towers in remote parts of the country through a public-private collaboration was proposed by Globe president Ernest Cu, at a recent meeting of the Private Sector Advisory Council.

Cu is head of PSAC's Connectivity Plan Task Force (CPTF).

This initiative is in line with President Marcos' pledge, in his State of the Nation Address, to bring connectivity to remote areas.

The proposal aims to deliver essential telecom services to the most underserved communities.

Around 7,063 barangays comprising nearly 25 million residents are classified as GIDAs.

As of 2024, Cu said over 600 Globe cell sites were operational in GIDAs.

In a major push to expand coverage, the country's three mobile network operators, including Globe, proposed to maximize utilization of existing towers and build new infrastructure in GIDAs.

The telcos also proposed to provide SIM cards with data plans through government subsidies to unconnected Filipino households between this year and 2028.

The SIMs will include automatic monthly load seeding of 50 gigabytes for a year, which can cover the average usage of a five-member household.

This would ensure that remote communities can be connected with mobile signals and the internet, enhancing their access to education, health care, 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 added.

By maximizing existing sites while building new ones in underserved areas, the project will minimize overlaps among providers and optimize coverage nationwide.

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.

Beyond the immediate infrastructure rollout, the CPTF is advocating for critical legislative support to strictly enforce the streamlining of the permitting process for new cell sites, ensure consistent energization for telco towers and rationalize spectrum user fees.

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