Telecommunications Applications in Rural Development in the Philippines

The telecommunications sector in the Philippines is finding itself at a crossroads today. The industry took roots in 1928 when the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLOT) started operations under American management, then later under Philippine management beginning in 1967. From 1928 to the early 1990ʹs, Philippine telecommunications was a huge monopoly. During that time development efforts at improving the entire telecommunications industry was very slow if not nil. Under the presidency of Fidel V. Ramos (1992-98), the telecommunications sector was deregulated. It was during that time that more industry players came into the picture. Where before there was only PLDT, today there are at least ten national carriers actively engaged in the business of providing telecommunications services nationwide. Then, of course, there are about 40 small telephone companies scattered throughout the country that provide telephone services to limited geographical areas. This is the general environment of the telecommunications sector in the Philippines today. This paper deals with the major issues and programmes affecting efforts at facilitating rural development through the application of telecommunicationstechnologies.