PH gov't still 'very far' from achieving wider internet access: dev't study agency

Jasmin Romero, ABS-CBN News

<div> </div><p>MANILA - The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) on Thursday urged the government to strengthen its policies and infrastructure to boost internet access across the country, describing it as still lacking. </p><p>PIDS senior research fellow Jose Ramon Albert said the government&#x27;s free wifi program &quot;is still very, very, very, very far from achieving its goal&quot; of providing free internet access nationwide. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/11/27/20/e-commerce-seen-driving-ph-internet-economy-to-28-billion-by-2025-google">E-commerce seen driving PH internet economy to $28 billion by 2025: Google</a></li></ul><p>Citing the 2019 National Information and Communications Technology<br/>(ICT) Household Survey, Albert said “some communities especially in BARMM have low access to telecom towers, fiber optic cable and free wifi.”</p><p>The poll was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted. </p><p>Urban barangays, he said, have 61 percent of telecom towers, three times higher than rural barangays&#x27; 19 percent. Meanwhile, 95 percent of telecom towers are “privately-owned”.</p><p>Those barangays without towers may have access to cell signals but they vary: 61 percent of them get 4G signal, with higher concentration in urban barangays at 83 percent, while it is at 44 percent in rural areas.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/17/20/who-are-identified-rich-poor-govt-shows-income-class-brackets-in-ph">Who are identified rich, poor? Gov&#x27;t shows income class brackets in PH</a></li></ul><p>“Meanwhile 3G is still prevalent in rural areas. Only 12 percent of all barangays have access to free wi-fi,” Albert said.</p><p>“Although fiber offers the highest bandwidth and reliability, it is very expensive to deploy in areas with low population density.&quot;</p><div><strong>DIGITAL DIVIDE</strong></div><p>Albert also said there is still “digital divide” even in cities, as 8 percent of barangays in Metro Manila do not have Internet Service Providers (ISPs).</p><p>Meanwhile, the top reasons why some households do not have internet are the following: </p><ul>	<li> high cost of internet subscription</li>	<li> high cost of equipment </li>	<li> non-availability of internet connection in the area</li></ul><p>“Nine out of 10 Filipinos have access to television which shows TV is still going to be king especially for the campaign (for the upcoming elections),” said Albert.</p><p>He believes many government policies are “pre-digital”, and should be updated.</p><p>“The key policy trust on ICT development thus should be on improving coverage and quality of connectivity and I hope this becomes a campaign issue,” Albert said.</p><p>“We should be working on improving digital literary skills. The DICT can partner with other government agencies and private sector to spread much more information about the importance of digitalization, the internet, ICT and all these technologies, cybersecurity.”</p><p>“Filipinos should also get engaged not just on social media but also in e-commerce and digital finance,” he added.</p><p>The government can “create programs” that can “re-skill the population, train older people on use of ICT, and improve awareness of its usefulness,&quot; he said.</p><p>It can “address bottlenecks” since this will &quot;further engage greater ICT-usage.” </p><p>“The connectivity problems of the country is mainly caused by our analog-era policies and laws. Government investments in digital infrastructure must target network segments in areas where the market fails to deliver,&quot; said Albert. </p><p>&quot;The government must also consider investing in areas where the private sector has difficulty competing and making a profit. However, the most critical role of the government is to introduce and enforce polices to address the accessibility, affordability and quality internet.&quot;</p><p>According to a Google report last month, digital transformation in the Philippines could generate as much as P5 trillion in annual economic value by 2030 as technology helps businesses shift online and grow during the pandemic.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/21/21/ph-digitalization-to-generate-up-to-p5t-yearly-by-2030-google">PH digital transformation seen to generate up to P5 trillion annually by 2030: Google</a></li></ul><p>In 2020, the Internet economy in the Philippines was estimated to be worth $7.5 billion, economists from AlphaBeta said. </p><p>This is expected to grow 30 percent annually to $28 billion by 2025, said AlphaBeta Founder and managing director Fraser Thompson. </p><p>This can be owed to the country’s young and tech-savvy population, Thompson said. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/10/21/21/ph-digitalization-to-generate-up-to-p5t-yearly-by-2030-google">PH digital transformation seen to generate up to P5 trillion annually by 2030: Google</a></li></ul><div><strong>-- With a report from Jess Fenol, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>FROM OUR ARCHIVES</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1827419" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

PIDS said the government's free wifi program 'is still very, very, very, very far from achieving its goal' of providing free internet access nationwide.

PH gov't still 'very far' from achieving wider internet access: dev't study agency | ABS-CBN

Halalan 2025

Entertainment

News

Metro.Style

Sports

More

Traffic

Horoscope

Spotlight

PH gov't still 'very far' from achieving wider internet access: dev't study agency

PH gov't still 'very far' from achieving wider internet access: dev't study agency

Jasmin Romero,

ABS-CBN News

Published Nov 11, 2021 09:19 PM PHT

Read More:

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.