No ‘misinformation’ in UP-Smart free wi-fi deal

MANILA, Philippines - The University of the Philippines has maintained that there was no misinformation over the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed with Smart Communications Inc. that will provide free connectivity and access points in all of its campuses across the country.

UP vice president for public affairs Prospero de Vera issued the statement amid the filing of the motion for reconsideration by student regent Neill Macuha, who claimed that there were false assumptions that UP will not pay anything at all for the deal.

Macuha claimed that UP will have to shell out funds for the payment of electricity costs for the wi-fi and access points that Smart will donate to the university.

But according to De Vera, the cost of the electricity falls under operating expenses of the access points that Smart will donate to UP.

“The MOA involves an infrastructure project, and cost of the MOA means investment cost. The university will absolutely not spend for capital outlay and will therefore not incur any investment cost,” said De Vera.

“There is no misinformation, deliberate or otherwise, with respect to the cost of electricity, which is explicitly indicated in Article VI (Taxes and Fees) of the MOA,” added the university official.

The motion for reconsideration was tackled and eventually dismissed by the Board of Regents during its meeting last week.

Last month, UP President Alfredo Pascual led university officials in signing the memorandum with the telecommunications company.

Under the agreement, websites “whitelisted” by Smart and UP can be accessed for free over wi-fi inside UP campuses. Sites that are not whitelisted can still be accessed for free for 30 minutes per day.

Smart said it will install an initial 120 hotspots in various UP campuses.  It will also put up eight new base stations to add to the six that are already inside UP.

“This is more than just a simple triumph of technology.  The hotspots will be a catalyst in unifying the seven constituent universities and one constituent college of the UP System and will signal the start of greater collaboration between UP and Smart in bringing Philippine education into the 21st century,” said Pascual in a statement.

Minimal electricity cost

Macuha claimed that instead of paying for the electricity costs, the university should instead use the money to upgrade the existing wireless connectivity that it maintains in various campuses.

But when asked about the electricity costs that the university has to pay over the deal, De Vera said it is minimal – roughly around P8,000 per month, based on the current rate, for all 120 access points in the entire country.

The university official added that the deal with Smart will have no negative effect on the UP-provided wi-fi services, and that the free 30 minutes provided by Smart will also serve as back-up in cases when the university’s Internet connection is having problems.