The pilot test would be implemented at the Malacañang Palace in Manila and nearby government offices, particularly the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which sits right beside Malacañang.
Diaz de Rivera, who is also a Commissioner at the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), added that the agency will be coming up with a five-year implementation plan that would finally integrated all government agencies into a single network.
Diaz de Rivera said the project, which will be funded largely by the e-Government Fund, covers department-level agencies down to the barangay level. He added that the Telecommunications Office, which manages government telecommunications networks, will be one of the project implementers.
Diaz de Rivera said Malacañang was chosen for the pilot test since its private automatic exchange branch (PABX) network is one of the oldest and needs urgent replacement.
“Since Malacañang should connect to all agencies, it’s just natural that the project should start there,” he said.
Surprisingly, Diaz de Rivera said the government racks up about 3.6 billion pesos in telephone bills per year, mainly due to international and national direct distance dial calls.
With a WAN infrastructure in place, the NCC could install VOIP phones so that Malacañang could cut down on call costs.
“We might save the government 30 to 40 percent in annual telephone costs if we use VOIP,” he said.
Autor/Author: Alexander Villafania
Quelle/Source: INQ7, 31.05.2006
