130 public Wi-Fi hotspots installed in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — Through the Pipol Konek project, the installation of public Wi-Fi hotspots all over Cebu is already at 23 percent complete, according to the latest data of the Department of Information Communication and Technology (DICT).

This accounts to 130 active hotspots of the 544 target installations in the province.

The Pipol Konek is a broadband internet connectivity project of the national government through DICT that provides free Wi-Fi access to the public all throughout the country.

DICT Assistant Secretary Alan Silor said the project covers areas like municipal halls, public parks/plazas, and schools. There are 544 sites in Cebu.

"It's actually a public service program of DICT by providing free public Wi-Fi to the people especially in public schools because we know for a fact that the education today needs more access to information and the Internet is a good source," Silor said.

The agreement is that the beneficiary local government units will take care of the equipment installed while DICT will pay for the internet service provider.

An estimated P30 million has been allocated for Cebu alone.

Project Manager Enrico Toledo said P1.4 billion has been allocated for the whole country.

Provincial ICT head Jeannette Saluba said 45 of the 51 local government units in Cebu Province have at least one operational hotspot. On top of the listed public places, the 16 provincial government-run hospitals are also part of the sites to be equipped with public internet connection.

Silor said DICT is prioritizing third class municipalities, particularly far-flung areas. So far, installation of hotspots is a challenge in Carcar City, Danao City, Medellin, San Remigio, Santander, and Toledo City due to lack of infrastructure. 

Across the whole Cebu, including the two highly-urbanized cities, Cebu City has the most number of hotspots at 73. Only five are operational for now, including the hotspot at the Capitol grounds, which was launched last Monday night. The internet speed for the free public wifi may reach four to 10 mbps depending on the number of users.

Next to Cebu City are Naga City and Danao City with 26 proposed hotspots and Mandaue City with 23.

In Sogod town, speed of the public Wi-Fi installed at the town hall reaches 28 mbps, which has attracted internet-savvy students.

DICT started the project in late 2016 and hopes to hit its targets before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends.

DICT aims to set up over 200,000 hotspots across the country. Silor said they are still at roughly 10 percent of their target accomplishment. Next year, the department hopes to add 13,000 more hotspots.

Enrico clarified that DICT did not block social media sites and search engines, but sites that are “malicious” in nature cannot be accessed via the public Wi-Fi. — JMO (FREEMAN)