DOST set to launch free Wi-Fi nationwide

The Department of Science and Technology's Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO) is preparing to roll out its free Wi-Fi service to close to 1,500 municipalities across the country.

The Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places project aims to install hotspots with an average speed of 256 kbps in public areas—such as town plazas, parks, and government offices—as well as in transport terminals, including train stations, seaports, and airports.

In a statement sent to GMA News Online, the DOST-ICTO said that the initiative will be extended to Class I and II municipalities in addition to the Class III to VI municipalities targeted in the original rollout.

The government ranks communities according to their income in a descending scale, with Class I earning P450M or more annually and Class VI earning less than P90M per year.

It is hoped that extending the free Wi-Fi service to higher-income communities, coupled with increases in the Allocated Budget for Contract (ABC) for the various municipalities, will attract more connectivity providers.

"We intend to increase the budget allocation for Municipal Connectivity for the project, by around 50%, likewise, we will also be including class one and two municipalities in order to better reach classes three to six, the ones who need Internet connectivity the most," DOST-ICTO Usec. Louis Casambre was quoted as saying.

"Tenders are currently being prepared for the new municipalities with the new budget, and they should be available within the month," he added.

The total number of target municipalities is now set at 1,435 from the 967 original beneficiaries. —JST, GMA News