MANILA, Philippines ? The Open Source Interoperability Laboratory, jointly operated by the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and Microsoft Philippines has received its first broadband satellite connectivity.

This will allow open source developers to gain better access to tools and connect to other open source communities, the agency said.

Local satellite provider We are I.T. (WIT) has installed a receiver at the Interoperability Lab in CICT?s office in Quezon City, which connects to the broadband IPSTAR satellite.

The satellite connection can provide at least 1 megabits per second up to 512 Mbps bandwidth.

Microsoft Philippines Platform Strategy Manager Albert De la Cruz said the satellite broadband connection could boost usage of the interoperability lab.

An online portal is being built to implement schedules for using the facility.

De la Cruz noted that a few projects from the Interoperability Lab have been put into commercial use and that many more could be developed out of the facility.

CICT Chairman Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua also believes that having faster broadband interconnectivity will help open source developers connect with other communities.

The facility can also be used for some e-government projects, particularly CICT?s Community e-Center project.