DICT to provide more free WiFi sites in the Visayas, Mindanao

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Saturday said more locations in the Visayas and Mindanao will have free Internet connectivity as the agency continues the roll-out of the Free WiFi for All Program in public places nationwide.

“Your DICT remains true to its promise: wherever you are in the country, DICT will reach and connect you. We will continue to face whatever challenge that lies ahead and pave the way for our next generation of citizens and leaders: our children,” DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said in a statement.

The DICT’s Visayas Cluster 2 targets to provide more Free Wi-Fi sites in 267 targeted barangays this year.

Seventy of the targeted barangays are under Managed Information System-Geographical Isolated Disadvantageous Areas (MIS-GIDA) and will be provided with Free Internet using very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology.

Meanwhile, the agency’s Mindanao Cluster 2 is set to launch more free Wi-Fi sites in the coming months, in addition to the sites deployed in the following provinces and cities:
Bukidnon: 99 hotspots in 30 locations
Camiguin: 20 hotspots in 8 locations
Lanao del Norte: 58 hotspots in 38 locations
Misamis Occidental: 58 hotspots in 21 locations
Misamis Oriental: 135 hotspots in 52 locations
Iligan City: 8 hotspots in 2 locations
Cagayan de Oro City: 32 hotspots in 13 locations

As of March 10, 2021, the DICT said there are a total of 8,170 free Wi-Fi sites deployed across the country.

“Following President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s directive to connect the government to other governments, businesses and citizens, we have ramped up our efforts to install more Free Wi-Fi sites across the country,” Honasan said.

“Considering our current situation, we will further double and even triple our efforts to provide connectivity to all Filipinos to help them adopt and thrive in the new normal through various opportunities found online,” he added.

Republic Act 10929 or the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act mandates the DICT to oversee the deployment of free Wi-Fi sites in public places nationwide. — DVM, GMA News