{
  "id": 1747372,
  "title": "DICT to bring satellite internet to 85 IP towns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/dict-to-bring-satellite-internet-to-85-ip-towns",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-18T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Philippine Star Business",
    "slug": "philippine-star-business",
    "url": "https://www.philstar.com/business/2026/08/19/2550162/dict-bring-satellite-internet-85-ip-towns"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) in the Philippines is investing nearly P29 million to bring satellite internet to 85 indigenous peoples (IP) towns. The DICT has issued an invitation to bid, seeking an internet service provider (ISP) to provide low earth orbit satellite internet access in these communities. Of the 85 towns to receive internet access, more than half are located in Mindanao. The project, costing P28.92 million, aims to establish internet access within 85 towns across the country, with the ISP required to activate the service within 60 days of receiving notice to proceed. The coverage is expected to last for at least 360 days, with the ISP providing a download bandwidth of 100 to 220 Mbps per location and an upload speed of 10 to 25 Mbps. The satellite internet must also offer at least two TB of data allocation per month, with latency of less than 60 milliseconds. The DICT is funding the project through the special account in the general fund for the Free Public Internet Access Program, also known as Free WiFi for All. The agency will host a pre-bid conference on August 24 to address any questions from prospective bidders and close submissions on September 7. Additionally, the DICT is enhancing e-governance initiatives in Mindanao, specifically in the SOCCSKSARGEN and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) regions. The Electronic Local Government System (eLGU) aims to streamline permitting processes, making it easier to do business. So far, the platform has registered 63 local government units in these two regions, processing 114,259 permits in SOCCSKSARGEN, generating P1.79 billion in revenue, and 7,931 filings in BARMM, resulting in P77.7 million in collections for the region. By adopting digital permitting, cities like Kidapawan City have seen a significant increase in business tax revenues, rising to P102.67 million in 2022 from P83.93 million in 2021.",
  "summary": "The Department of Information and Communications Technology is spending nearly P29 million for the installation of satellite internet in 85 indigenous peoples towns.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}