Connecting the unconnected, one community ISP at a time

unconnected.org participated in the 2nd National General Assembly of the Internet and Telecommunications Association of the Philippines (ITAP) with the theme Konektadong Pinoy: Abot-kamay na! Small Players Susi sa Bayang Digital (translated as Small Players Key to a Digital Nation). 

The presentation focused on bridging the digital divide through sustainable connectivity solutions for the empowerment of unserved and underserved communities. 

The “unconnected” population is often described as Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA), Rural and Remote Sites, Far-Flung Locations or as Countryside. 

A vast majority of schools, rural health units and disaster risk reduction centers nationwide remain unconnected as well, and alternatives are simply not available for meaningful connectivity.

ITAP through its members have been engaging with unconnected.org and connecting island communities, mountain schools and isolated health facilities, all primarily aimed at social impact. 

ITAP, composed of micro, small and medium ISPs enterprises and Value-Added Service (VAS) providers, use various wired and wireless technologies to connect the last mile.

While fiber technology is considered superior in terms of transmission, reliability and capacity, real and pressing issues on the ground such as cuts, right-of-way (ROW), and time-to-market remain, posing significant challenges to local operators.

Satellite has become more competitive over the years, coupled with the unique advantage unconnected.org brings - unlimited and uncapped high speed connectivity, incentivizing small players to use Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite for rapid deployments.

ITAP has pledged to work with partners to connect underserved communities. unconnected.org welcomes this relationship with ITAP, along with its hundreds of members, for the establishment of more community networks, to enable more Filipinos online.