The Philippines will now join the bandwagon of Asian countries who were offering 24/7 free Wi-Fi access in designated public areas across the country. The ambitious project will be implemented by the national government through the Department of Science and Technology – Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO).
According to DOST, only designated areas will be offered the free service from the national government. Although the project will be available to the Filipino public in the next few months, the DOST noted that there will be limitations with the free Wi-Fi access.
Meanwhile, listed below are Designated Public Places to be Installed with Free Wi-Fi:
1. Public Plazas and Parks
2. Public Primary and Secondary Central Schools
3. Public Libraries
4. Rural Health Units and Government Hospitals
5. State Universities and Colleges
6. Train Stations of the MRT and LRT systems
7. Airports and Seaports
8. City and Municipal Halls
9. National Government Offices
The DOST-ICTO noted that each free public Wi-Fi zone will have an average of 256 kbps, the lowest prevailing speed requirement for “Broadband” Service. The implementing agency also revealed to the media that they will be prioritizing metropolitan areas in the first six months of the project.
The Free Wi-Fi national access will wrap up with a nationwide free Wi-Fi access by June 2016. The DOST also noted that there will be certain limitations with regards to access in each Wi-Fi zone and the national government are still polishing the policies with regards to the Wi-Fi access registration.
The DOST-ICTO also stated that there will be designated registration areas, if not a web-based registration system to accommodate those who want internet access.