The Philippine national optical backbone network is scheduled to be put into trial operation by the end of the year

The Philippine Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) recently said that it will conduct trial operation
of the national fiber optic backbone network (NFB) from November to December 2018.

As part of the country's national broadband plan, DICT signed a tripartite agreement in June 2017 with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the National Power Transmission Corporation (TransCo) to build a nationwide fiber optic backbone
.

According to reports, the Philippine National Grid Corporation's 7 point-to-point dark fiber path network in Benguet, Tarlac, Pampanga, Batangas, Mindoro, Albay, Camarines Sur, Tagaya and Bohol is scheduled to be launched in the fourth quarter of this year with a total length of 6,154 kilometers in order to test the integrity of NGCP optical ground wire (OPGW) and the latest optical transmission technology on the market
。

Another important component of the national fiber optic backbone network is the TransCo-owned backbone network, which is preparing to complete the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) project
next year.

The new LBI infrastructure, which includes two 250-kilometre-long fibre corridors connecting submarine cable landing stations, is expected to come online
by the end of 2019.
It will be operated by DICT, which will also maintain facilities and provide last-mile connectivity
in the Philippines.