Remember the DOST’s public WiFi project, which has already kicked off, and is now offering free Internet access to people in select locations in Metro Manila?
It looks like the government is already moving towards scaling things up to support a bigger audience after bidding out a P74-million contract for 14 access points that will serve as the backbone of WiFi hotspots across 967 municipalities to Innove Communications and Yondu IT Solutions. Both are subsidiaries of Globe Telecom, which, as you know, is one of the largest telecommunications providers in the Philippines.
The 14 access points will be spread throughout the Philippines’ 3 island groups, namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, though they won’t be sufficient to cover the country’s entire WiFi needs. To do that, the DOTC needs to find contractors for the remaining 867 municipalities, which leave out roughly 23 million of the population.
Regardless, the department is hopeful it will be able to sort out the technical details of connecting even the most remote and isolated of communities to the Internet within the year.
[table class=”table_gray”]| 14 access-point locations |
|---|
| Tugegarao City, Cagayan |
| Dagupan City, Pangasinan |
| San Fernando City, Pampanga |
| Lipa City, Batangas |
| Legazpi City, Albay |
| Puerto Princesa City, Palawan |
| Iloilo City, Iloilo |
| Cebu City, Cebu |
| Calbayog City, Samar |
| Tacloban City, Leyte |
| Cagayan De Oro City, Misamis Oriental |
| Pagadian City, ARMM |
| Davao City, Davao del Sur |
| Zamboanga City, Zamboanga |
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