The Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has launched a roadmap for national ICT development and policy formulation co-developed with a global non-profit organization, the Internet Society. The National ICT Ecosystem Framework or NICTEF succeeds the Philippine Digital Strategy of 2011-2016 and is envisioned as a comprehensive blueprint that will enable the consolidation and harmonization of the country’s ICT data, thereby transforming raw data in to valuable information. The NICTEF will be an authoritative reference source for the government’s activities regrading ICT development, as well as a living document (https://www.ictecosystem.org.ph/) that shall be updated periodically with the latest plans, programs and projects, including recent indicators, accomplishments, outcomes and results.
Several interdependent framework elements have been identified in the National ICT ecosystem:
Human Capital: Talents and Skills – the individuals who access the applications, services, content and data that are provided by the players in the ICT ecosystem.
Affordable Access and Devices – the interfaces through which humans access the applications, services, content and data – these may include wearable devices, cellphones, laptops, desktop computers, internet cafes, and other similar devices or venues.
Platforms (Apps/Services and Content/Data) – these are the solutions (or portions of a solution) which are accessed by users in the ecosystem in order to achieve equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development in our society, and potentially to improve their quality of life.
Infostructure/Infrastructure – these are the physical and logical components which collectively perform the function of providing secure connectivity between the users, their devices, and the platform which they are accessing.
Standards, Regulation, and Policies – these provide the boundaries which will allow for the players and elements within the ecosystem to safely and productively inter-connect and inter-operate.
The framework has six strategic thrusts: (1) Participatory e-Governance (2) Industry and Countryside Development (3) Resource Sharing and Capacity Building (4) Improved Public Links and Connectivity (5) ICT User Protection and Information Security, and (6) Enabling and Sustainable ICT Environment.
In order to measure the progress of the ecosystem, indicators have been selected: 1) Network Readiness Index (World Economic Forum); 2) ICT Development Index (International Telecommunications Union); 3) Digital Adoption Index (World Bank); 4) Freedom on the Net Index (Freedom House); 5) World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (IMD World Competitiveness Center); 4) Affordability Drivers Index (Alliance for Affordable Internet); 5) Inclusive Internet Index [Economist Intelligence Unit]; and 6) E-Government Development Index (United Nations).
(Sources: Department of Information and Communications Technology, Philippines; The Philippine Star)
