By Alec Go
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said network signal has been restored in the areas affected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that struck Luzon on Wednesday, July 27.
DICT Assistant Secretary Anna Mae Lamentillo said in a briefing that they have completed the inspection of communication lines in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Cordillera Administrative Region.
“Wala pong na-damage na telecommunication facility pati government facility. Pero nag-deploy na rin kami ng mga mobile VSAT, satellite phones doon sa mga affected regions para makatulong sa ating rescue operations,” she said.
“As of now, restored na po lahat ng ating communication points,” she added.
Lamentillo said several access points for the provision of free internet services have already been established in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, the DICT said the expansion of digital infrastructure is ongoing to boost connectivity by increasing “government internet capacity by 50 times.”
“Hindi magiging immediate ang results but we are exploring a lot of strategies – short-term, medium-term, and long-term,” Lamentillo said.
She said the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure “will be online by next year,” while Starlink is expected to go live by the first quarter of next year.
“We feel and we believe that there will be drastic improvements as early as next year, as far as internet connectivity is concerned,” she said.
