ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Technews devider NOW Telecom 5G network secures US fund grant to help boost broadband connectivity in the PH

NOW Telecom 5G network secures US fund grant to help boost broadband connectivity in the PH

Published Dec 17, 2022 09:02 pm

Get ready to connect everybody, and all things, in 2023 via 5G network with NOW Telecom poised to position itself among the leaders in the Philippine telecommunications industry.

NOW Telecom Co. Inc. (“NOW Telecom”) paints a brighter future for Filipinos in the global race for faster and better connectivity after it secured a grant funding from the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) for technical assistance to advance critical digital infrastructure projects in the Philippines.

This strategic project is in collaboration with global 5G Tech Leader Nokia of America and a global technology and research innovator, Nokia Bell Labs. This is an initial step to the partnership of NOW Telecom with the U.S. Government as announced during the visit of US VP Kamala Harris. To recall, the White House released a Fact Sheet outlining the new initiatives to strengthen U.S.-Philippines Alliance in November 2022. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/11/20/fact-sheetvice-president-harris-launches-new-initiatives-to-strengthen-u-s-philippines-alliance/)

USTDA, an independent agency of the US government established in 1992 to advance economic development, has approved NOW Telecom grant request to fund technical assistance (TA) for the development of Wireless Telephony Network for the Philippines using 5G Technology. The TA includes three major components namely (1) design of a national 5G wireless network; (2) the design and planning of a nationwide broadband network, (3) the design and implementation of a pilot 5G network in Metro Manila.

USTDA's funding will support NOW Telecom’s development and implementation of a mobile and fixed wireless network utilizing 5G technology. The TA will be undertaken by Bell Labs Consulting represented by Nokia of America Corporation (Nokia Americas) as the prime contractor, a company registered in the US that is engaged in research and scientific development in the telecommunications sector.

NOW Telecom said its 5G pilot launch will use network and radio equipment, core network, and software developed and supplied by Nokia Americas and its subsidiaries. The objective of the TA and 5G pilot launch is to support NOW Telecom’s plan to launch a 5G Stand-alone network in the Philippines that will contribute to the overall improvement of broadband connectivity in the country and increase competition in the Filipino market.

"The TA and pilot launch of a 5G network in the Philippines through NOW Telecom will include a development plan and execution of a pilot 5G Stand-Alone Network and the design of a completely "Clean" and "Secured" Stand-alone 5G Network," NOW Telecom President and COO Rene L. Rosales said.

"The 5G Network Plan will include among other technical components, the deployment strategy and definition of infrastructure requirements for the network transmission backbone for both domestic and international connectivity that will be responsive to existing and projected countrywide traffic volume and routes/destinations in the Philippines," Rosales added.

Related Tags

NOW Telecom
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.