The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has signed an agreement with a Japanese telecommunications firm for the expansion of the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) project.

The partnership with IPS Inc. and its affiliate, InfiniVAN Inc., was announced by the DICT's attached agency, the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), on Friday, Sept. 1, with the goal of expanding the country's undersea cable network and accelerating digital transformation.

DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy and CICC Executive Director Alexander K. Ramos attended the signing ceremony, which was held in Tokyo, Japan.

IPS Inc. Chief Executive Officer and President Koji Miyashita, InfiniVAN Director Shikegi Nakahara, and InfiniVAN Chief Operating Officer Engr. Edgardo A. Opulencia also attended the event.

Uy underscored the importance of the agency's partnership with the private sector in terms of the country's regional connectivity.

"This network is poised to play a role in enhancing the overall stability of infrastructure in the Philippines," he said.

"With the improvement of connectivity, we are providing more Filipinos the opportunity to participate in the digital transformation and digital journey that we all must share in this fourth industrial (revolution)," he added.

The agreement encapsulated InfiniVan and IPS investment worth $150 million or approximately P8.5 billion for 2023 to 2024 in the PDSCN project—a 2,500-kilometer undersea cable network linking key cities and tourist hubs.

Meanwhile, Ramos highlighted the project's positive impact on the growth and progress of the country's digital transformation.

"The investment aligns seamlessly with the country's Digital Transformation Strategy, which seeks to leverage technology for inclusive growth and progress," he said.

InfiniVAN, Inc. is a Congressionally-franchised Philippine Telecom Company under Republic Act 10898 and an affiliate of Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed IPS Inc.

$150-M expansion plan

Under the initiative, InfinVAN, Inc. will lead the procurement of dark fiber pairs for the PDSCN that will mark the completion of the National Broadband Plan's foundational infrastructure.

It will also help the DICT in "establishing a secure network connecting more than 7,000 islands.

“This support comes in the form of proposing a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), which aims to expedite the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, also referred to as the Broadband ng Masa Program (BBMP),” CICC said.

Moreover, the plan encompasses a network spanning 2,700 kilometers (km) of fiber optic cables, connecting Luzon to Mindanao.

According to the CICC, there are 26 hops or landing stations under the project: Batangas to Mindoro, Mindoro to Boracay, Lucena to Marinduque, Marinduque to Tablas, Capiz to Tablas, Masbate 1 to Capiz, Iloilo to Bacolod, Negros Occidental to Western Cebu, Zamboanga Del Norte 1 to Negros Oriental, Surigao Del Norte to Southern Leyte, Western Leyte to Cebu 1, Samar to Masbate 2, and Masbate to Sorsogon.

It also included Boracay to Aklan, Siargao to Surigao Del Sur, Camiguin to Misamis Oriental, Masbate 1 to Western Leyte, Cebu 2 to Bohol, Bohol to Cagayan de Oro, Cagayan de Oro to Zamboanga Del Norte 1, Zamboanga Del Norte 2 to Zamboanga Del Norte 1, Zamboanga Del Norte 2 to Zamboanga Del Sur, Camarines Sur to Tablas, Southern Leyte to Cebu 1, Masbate 1 to Masbate 2 underground (UG) Terrestrial, and Cebu 1 to Cebu 2 UG Terrestrial.