MANILA, Philippines — The government will build 772 free WiFi sites in country, mostly in Mindanao, under the newly approved P16.1-billion Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project to boost broadband connectivity nationwide, particularly in remote areas.
At a Palace briefing yesterday, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy said the wider digital infrastructure project seeks to complete the national fiber backbone program of the Marcos administration.
Dy said most of the 772 free WiFi sites would be put up in Mindanao, particularly in Regions 11 and 13. This is said to be a development project for these regions as it can potentially increase the country’s gross domestic product.
The project aims to build these WiFi sites by 2028 through a $288-million loan from World Bank, according to Dy.
He said the entire project would be implemented for a period of 10 years from 2025 to 2035.