HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Office of the Governor has announced the launch of an $11.4 million project to construct new fiber and 5G installations for expanded broadband coverage in southern Guam.
Funding for the Guam Southern Buried Fiber Optic Cable and 5G Project was made possible by the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the Broadband Infrastructure Program to expand network infrastructure and broadband services on Guam, Adelup stated in a release.
PTI Pacifica Inc., doing business as IT&E, was contracted to perform the project. At this point, IT&E teams are micro trenching in Piti for buried fiber optic cable and 5G installation for the project, according to Adelup.
“The new broadband system (to be) constructed by IT&E will increase the current availability of broadband services to residences, businesses, and community anchor institutions in southern Guam. This increased availability includes the minimum broadband speeds of 25 Mbps for downloads with three Mbps for uploads to 4,900 locations and at least 100 Mbps for downloads with 20 Mbps uploads to more than 1,500 locations,” the Adelup release stated.
Acting Gov. Josh Tenorio joined cabinet officials and IT&E officials for a press conference announcing the project Tuesday morning.
“This project is very timely. As we all recall the situation we dealt with in May (2023) during Typhoon Mawar, communications were compromised. In southern Guam, many residents and many residents continue to have inadequate access to telecommunications. And with technology continuing to evolve, we found ourselves in a situation where there was not reliable communications to update the people of Guam on the status of the typhoon, on the recovery efforts, and our ability to rebuild,” Tenorio said Tuesday, adding that the southern broadband expansion is a key initiative.
The project will begin in Piti, then circle southern Guam and end in Chalan Pago-Ordot, according to the acting governor.
Two buried, interconnected but physically diverse rings of fiber totaling 72.7 miles will be constructed with 26 wireless towers across the south that will be upgraded for 5G capabilities, according to the release from Adelup. Following completion of the buried “Middle Mile,” IT&E plans to extend high-speed broadband services to all locations in the southern Guam region through a mix of fixed wireless access, fiber-to-the-home and fiber-to-the building, the release added.
The estimated end date for the project is Feb. 25, 2025.
Piti Mayor Jesse Alig, who also serves as president and acting executive director of the Mayors’ Council of Guam, said the upgrade is necessary, not only for residents, but also for operations.
“It’s certainly appreciated on the Mayors’ Council side that the (governor’s) administration and their partners have worked to make this upgrade a success for all of us on Guam,” Alig said.
IT&E CEO David Gibson called the expansion “a momentous project” and “another chapter” in the company’s history servicing Guam.
“This fiber infrastructure is really going to be the spine of the network that’s going to not only allow for higher speed internet access for your residents and business. But really, it’s going to be the platform that really future-proofs our ability to be able to provide even more access as technology evolves,” Gibson said.
Acting Gov. Josh Tenorio joined other stake holders for a photo after a press conference to announce the project launch for the construction of new fiber and 5G installation for broadband coverage to southern Guam Tuesday Feb. 20, 2024, at the Governor’s Conference Room in Adelup.
