The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is setting its sights on reducing internet prices in the Philippines by 50%, a bold move aimed at positioning the country among the most affordable in Southeast Asia.
DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy’s successor, Henry Aguda, said the agency is focused on tackling three major concerns—availability, affordability, and speed of connectivity. “Pag nagawa lahat yan, babagsak talaga [ang presyo]. We will be one of the cheapest in terms of internet connectivity in ASEAN muna,” Aguda said in an ABS-CBN News report.
While no timeline has been set, Aguda emphasized that key steps are already underway. The department is banking on new technologies, such as low-earth orbit and geostationary satellites, and market competition to help drive down prices. “May mga parating na mga technology like low orbit satellite, geostationary satellite. Ok na, parating na yan,” he said.
The recent launch of the “Konektadong Pinoy” initiative is another move to stimulate competition in the telecommunications sector, which Aguda believes will naturally result in lower prices. “Dumating na ang Konektadong Pinoy. With competition, alam niyo naman pag dumating competition, bababa talaga ang presyo,” he added.
DICT is also planning to phase out outdated 2G and 3G services in favor of 4G and 5G to improve speeds and enhance efficiency. Though no retirement date has been announced, Aguda said that frequency refarming—reclaiming underutilized spectrum for modern networks—is a key strategy. “Pag yung frequency, like any other natural resource of the government, pag hindi ginagamit yan, dapat ibalik naman,” he said.
The government’s free public Wi-Fi initiative is also undergoing a major overhaul. Aguda said DICT is renegotiating contracts to lower costs significantly by exploring long-term deals, embracing newer, more affordable technologies, and removing intermediaries. “We’re recontracting all the contracts to bring down the price aggressively,” he said.
An additional boost is expected from a long-term infrastructure donation by Facebook—a 2-terabit capacity facility built in partnership with the Philippine government. “It was a 25-year donation to us… Binuild ng gobyerno ang facility na yan, kinabit na ni Facebook. Ano kapalit dyan? Murang internet,” Aguda revealed.
