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PRIVATE
phone companies are given a free hand in drawing up the
technical specifications of the government’s broadband
project, apparently after being stung to the quick by
the messy Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Co.
Ltd. (ZTE) deal and obsolescence questions on the
Chinese-designed network.
This
came about after a two-hour meeting at the National
Telecommunications Commission (NTC) Monday afternoon
among officials of the Department of Transportation and
Communications and representatives of the Philippine
Long Distance Telephone Co., Globe Telecom, Bayan
Telecommunications Inc., Digital Telecommunications
Philippines Inc., Philippine Association of Private
Telephone Companies, and the Philippine Chamber of
Telecommunications Operators.
The DOTC
now calls the project the government broadband network,
or GBN, to distinguish it from the deeply tarnished
China-funded national broadband network, or NBN.
“We have
made a short presentation of what the GBN is all about.
Basically, it outlines the requirements of the
government. Now, the next step is to ask the private
sector to come up with their respective proposals on how
the project will be carried out. We will pool all their
proposals and from there we will determine how the
project will be carried out,” said Transportation
Assistant Secretary Lorenzo Formoso.
The GBN
is envisioned as a fully integrated single Internet
protocol-based platform that will allow secured Intranet
and virtual private network services, including secured
e-mail services, data transfer and video conferencing;
free calls within government nationwide through voice
over Internet protocol, or VOIP; server hosting for
better security; Internet connectivity; and mobile
communications.
These
services will be provided by the private telcos using
their existing networks with the necessary coverage and
capacity expansion. At present, Formoso said none of the
government agencies, except for some GOCCs, have virtual
private networks. Government files are usually
transferred via e-mail through Yahoo or Google mail, he
added.
Approximately P4 billion is spent by the government in
annual communications expenses. In 2004 government
agencies spent P1.9 billion; GOCCs, P1.1 billion; and
local government units, P700 million.
He said
those amounts are expected to increase annually as more
agencies implement e-government initiatives but that a
GBN in place would reduce them significantly.
Based on
what the DOTC has presented, the GBN project will be
divided into three phases. For Phase One, there will be
connectivity for all national government offices.
Approximately 2,400 connections will be needed.
Phase
two involves 1,628 connections to put online all
provincial and municipal local government units. While
Phase Three will entail 22,000 connections to connect to
the barangay-level nationwide.
Each of
the phases are planned to be completed in a year.
Construction may start next year. “The plan is to start
as early as next year. The GBN project will be treated
with a certain degree of urgency,” said Formoso.
He said
it is too early to say if the GBN project will be bid
out. “Public bidding is still the best way to do it.
However, that is one of the issues that will be threshed
out by the technical working group. A bidding will also
depend on the financial resources of the participating
telcos.”
A week
from now, the private phone firms will submit their
proposals. If they prefer that an auction be conducted,
then they will also propose the terms of reference.
Formoso said the DOTC needs two weeks to study these
proposals.
“The
budget secretary has assured that such funds will be
available. We will make sure the players are
well-compensated,” added Formoso.
For
their part, the telcos said they could form a consortium
instead of designating one phone company to carry out
the GBN project.
“Once
the government has chosen the best proposal then we will
know how to go about with the project. It is up to them
if they will assign a company or two but another option
could be a consortium. In this way, if the capital
expenditure is a bit high then we can share the
expenses,” said Globe senior vice president Rodolfo
Salalima.
Smart
Communications Inc. is willing to participate in the GBN
project. “Until we know from them how they plan to carry
out the project, then we cannot comment further. We will
submit our proposal. The government has the final say.
It is good that they sought the assistance of the
experts,” said Smart legal counsel Roy Ibay. |
