Japanese firm eyes fastest internet investment in Maguindanao

COTABATO CITY - A Japanese multinational firm eyes more investment in Mindanao and offered to put up capital to help boost agriculture and marine industry development using sophisticated and fast data communication technologies.Yoshihisa Arai, chief executive officer of Global Trade Ventures, presented a proposal and feasibility study that will make Matanog town in Maguindanao the host of the country’s biggest Japanese investment.Arai forged a deal with Matanog local government, headed by Mayor Mohammad Ali Kits Guro, for the development of Sakurab Kimchi from crops endemic in town.During his presentation, Arai highlighted the use of satellite technology to advance communication, agriculture, aquamarine and almost all of daily necessities in communication using Internet data, calls and short messaging system. With the seemingly improving peace and order now in Mindanao due to the passage of new law, this prospect will help in improve the town and region’s economy using satellite data connectivity and we plan to expand throughout the country, Arai said.Arai said his group plans to discuss the proposal to President Duterte when he comes home from his foreign trip.Japan is one of world’s fastest Internet service providers and its coming to the Philippines could be an answer to Filipinos’ frequent complaints of snail-paced internet services from current providers.Known as Asia’s text capital and now social media and Internet crazy population, Filipinos use internet the way they use daily basic needs aside from food and shelter. An alternate to that (problem) has been offered on the table, Kazao Sato, a consultant for the Global Trade Ventures Japan, said.The firm is offering a satellite that could provide internet speed of up to 1.2 Gigabytes per channel, which means around 1,024 megabytes. The Philippine consumption is playing currently at a very minimal 5 Mbps to 100Mbps as the fastest.Once realized, the superfast internet services would only cost an average of P350 per month per internet connection.An effective and fast internet services using satellite will also help plantation and farming systems for locally produced crops needed for the Sakurab Kimchi the firm is venturing into in Matanog.This also includes aquamarine offshore fishing, fish breeding and fish farming.On top of the benefits a satellite investment to the people of Maguindanao and Mindanao, it will also provide disaster response using Japanese standards. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)