Telecommunications giant Globe Telecom Inc. is pushing for a national policy to establish underground conduit infrastructure as the standard for network expansion in the country, effectively phasing out traditional overhead lines prone to cable theft and accidental cuts.

In a statement, Globe said it recommended creating a coordinated framework to guide the planning, construction, and governance of nationwide underground conduit systems.

Globe General Counsel Froilan Castelo said a national policy would provide the consistency needed to streamline network rollouts by standardizing implementation across local government units (LGUs).

He added that it would give the industry clear technical guidelines to plan, deploy, and manage these subterranean systems effectively.

“Clear governance and consistent national standards will accelerate network rollouts, improve resilience to service disruptions, and optimize investments that ultimately benefit consumers and the country's digital economy," Castelo said.

Globe submitted its proposal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC). The recommendation includes designating a lead government agency to oversee the nationwide rollout.

The proposed policy framework calls for closer inter-agency coordination to draft a National Underground Conduits Master Plan, establishing long-term technical and operational guidelines.

It also champions infrastructure sharing under Republic Act (RA) No. 12234, or the Konektadong Pinoy Act. The law’s “Dig Once Policy” mandates that telecom providers and other utilities share single underground conduits to minimize road excavations.

Once enacted, Globe said the framework will mark a major step toward ending the frequent fiber cuts and cable theft that plague local connectivity. The company recorded over 14,000 fiber cuts in the past year alone.

As the country’s digital economy expands, the telco stressed that government intervention is crucial to prevent intentional and accidental disruptions from knocking communities offline.

For its part, Globe recently completed over 1,500 kilometers of underground fiber facilities, which led to a notable drop in service interruptions. In the first half of the year, the company expanded its footprint by deploying more than 80,000 new fiber lines to meet surging demand for fixed broadband.