PH, Japan boost cooperation on ICT

The Philippines and Japan are set to collaborate on projects involving the enhancement of broadband infrastructure and 5G rollout in the country.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it had inked a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) on Feb. 9, which aimed to strengthen cooperation in the ICT field.

The DICT and MIC will work on joint ICT projects within a five-year period. Areas of cooperation include improvement of broadband infrastructure and service provision; entry of more 5G suppliers; and capacity-building for cybersecurity. Their collaboration will also cover digital transformation, big data and artificial intelligence and internet of things.

“The Philippines, through the DICT, has reinforced its cooperation in the field of ICT with Japan,” Information and Communication Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy said.

“The Philippine government and the government of Japan have a long history of collaboration and the signed MOC will only strengthen our cooperative efforts. As a developing country, we are sure to gain valuable insights and support from Japan, especially in the field of ICT,” he added.

Last week, the DICT hosted the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Ministers Meeting in Boracay. It was attended by Asean officials and the region’s dialogue partners, including China, Japan, Korea, India, US, European Union and International Telecommunication Union.

The conference served as an avenue to discuss Asean Digital Masterplan 2025, whose strategic thrusts include digital infrastructure, digital transformation and digital policy, regulation and standards, among others. By the end of the conference, the officials came up with the Boracay Digital Declaration, which highlighted their goal of ensuring all Asean members have the digital resources to enable quick recovery from the pandemic.

“Throughout the ongoing discussions of these topics, it is imperative to recognize connectivity as an underlying and essential building block for these pillars of our countries’ transformations. The unprecedented scope and velocity of digital revolution was actualized on the foundation of connectivity,” Uy stressed.