Five ISPs join PLDT’s Internet exchange
By Edu Lopez, Manila Bulletin - 6 July 1997 

The country’s first Internet backbone called Philippine Internet Exchange (PhIX) was launched by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) on Thursday with the first five major Internet service providers (ISPs) connected to the hub. 

Infocom Technologies, Inc.; Mosaic Communications, Iphil Communications Network, Inc.; Virtual Link International Corporation, and WorldTel Philippines, Inc. have signed the multi-lateral peering agreement with telephone giant, PLDT last November 1996. 

PhIX is an access point that allows the five ISPs interconnected with the hub to exchange information or data without necessarily going to connect with the outside hubs. 

The introduction of PhIX would increase efficiency in routing and improve the general connectivity of domestic Internet users to access content and the delivery of information, said PLDT first vice president Cesar G. Reyes. 

The localization of Internet traffic within the country would maximize the existing and future bandwidth capacities of  these ISPs resulting in higher reliability and isolation from individual gateway problems, he said. 

Local Internet users would also benefit from faster access to the content and exchange of information of the ISPs interconnected with the PhIX. 

"With PhIX, we foresee attaining efficiencies that will bridge the gap and hasten the delivery of available information and resources to and from various sectors of our society. It shall be a catalyst in realizing our government’s vision of making itself and its agencies more accessible to the people," Reyes added. 

With the increasing number of ISPs, efficient network infrastructure is needed in the immediate future to lower the cost of operations through savings in international bandwidth acquisition, he said. 

PhIX offers independence from international Internet traffic as it centralizes local traffic within the country, eliminating the need to route locally exchanged information via lost servers located abroad. 

Albert S. Velasco, president of the Philippine Internet Service Organization (PISO) cited the pioneering effort in linking together the country’s ISPs. 

The PhIX would hasten the tempo for the formation of a greater Philippines, a digital nation linking through the local Internet users with Filipinos abroad. 

"Such digital nation would enable Filipinos to fully partake of life in the 21st century where the world shall have been  transformed into a global and multi-cultural village," Velasco said. 

Velasco hinted the possibility of other ISP groups to form their own Internet exchange with over 120 ISPs currently operating in the country. 

PLDT has obtained a provisional authority from the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to install, operate and maintain an Internet Exchange last April 16 this year.