After securing a grant from the US government for a pilot study on 5G deployment, NOW Telecom Company Inc. is planning to commercially launch its stand-alone 5G mobile and fixed wireless network in the country by 2024.

At the sidelines of the Joint Cybersecurity Working Group Session on 5G Security in Makati City on Tuesday, NOW Telecom chairman and CEO Mel Velasco Velarde said the company secured a P118 million ($2.15 million) grant from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTA) for the pilot feasibility study for the development of 5G mobile and broadband in the Philippines.

“After that, what the US government wanted to know is exactly how much money is needed to deploy 5G nationwide and the national broadband network nationwide,” Velarde said.

Under the study, the company and the USTDA will establish a pilot 5G network in key business districts in Metro Manila to test 5G use cases and to gather data for wide-scale deployment.

“We will know the performance, some metrics that will indicate the experience of certain industries, even households,” Velarde said.

SOURCE: GMA NETWORK

MANILA, U.S. Embassy in the Philippines — The United States government, through the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), is providing NOW Telecom Company, Inc. a Php 118 million ($2.15 million) grant to fund a feasibility study for the development of reliable and secure nationwide 5G mobile and broadband networks in the Philippines.

NOW Telecom has selected New Jersey-based Bell Labs Consulting, part of Bell Labs, the research arm of Nokia, to conduct the study.

The grant agreement was signed by NOW Telecom Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mel Velasco Velarde and Nokia Bell Labs Managing Partner Stefan Wilhelm during the 10th U.S.-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Manila on January 20. United States Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, and Philippines Department of Information and Communications (DICT) Undersecretary for Connectivity Angelo Nuestro witnessed the signing.

“This 5G grant demonstrates the U.S. commitment to developing quality digital infrastructure and increasing access to affordable connectivity in the Philippines,” Assistant Secretary Kritenbrink said.

For his part, DICT Undersecretary Nuestro said, “The open innovation platform that this partnership seeks to give will enable the broader Philippine society to take a leap towards a connected future. We welcome these opportunities that will improve the lives of Filipinos.”

Under the USTDA grant, the feasibility study will provide NOW Telecom with the necessary analysis, designs, and plans for the phased implementation of the project. It will also include the establishment of a 5G pilot network at multiple sites in Metro Manila to validate network performance, test 5G use cases, and provide data to inform larger scale deployment.

This project aims to support the digital transformation of the Philippines by helping to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth, reliable, and secure digital services from households and industry in the Philippines.

The feasibility study grant furthers U.S. digital policy in line with the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which aims to promote secure digital infrastructure in the region to bolster economic growth and facilitate open digital societies.

SOURCE: PACOM.MIL