DICT to put up 250,000 Wi-Fi sites by 2022

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is planning to put up 250,000 Wi-Fi access points in the country before President Rodrigo Duterte's six-year term ends in 2022.

In an interview on "Dobol B sa News TV" on Sunday, DICT officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio said that they will be holding a bidding process this month in line with their target of establishing 6,000 to 7,000 Wi-Fi access points in the country.

"Ito yung RA 10929 na kami ay may reponsibilidad ho yung DICT na pairalin yung paglagay ng mga free Wi-Fi sa mga public places ho sa buong bansa,meron kaming bidding na gagawin sa January na ito para yung mananalo maglalagay na ng around initially mga around 6 to 7,000 access points all over the Philippines, mga public schools, mga munisipyo, kapitolyo, mga hospitals at kasama na ho diyan yung mga state owned universities and colleges," Rio said.

"Maglalagay na ho nang maraming maraming Wi-Fi zones, ang aming target by 2022, 250,000 na free Wi-Fi access points ang mailalagay na namin. Sa term ni Presidente, ganyan karami at yung next tuloy tuloy ho 'yan ang paglaganap nitong mga free wifi zones," he added.

Duterte in August last year, enacted Republic Act Co. 10929, also known as the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, which covers national and local government offices, public basic educations institutions, state universities and colleges, as well as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority institutions, public hospitals, and others.

The government has set up a free public Wi-Fi across the whole 24-kilometer stretch of EDSA which has access points in all Metro Rail Transit (MRT) stations. — LA, GMA News