THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is eyeing to turn Manila's famed University belt area into a WiFi zone to benefit students.

The plan, according to MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando, is part of the agency's "Univer-City" that aims to rid the university belt of eyesores and other obstructions.

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Fernando said they would use WiMAX technology to carry out the program.

WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a telecommunications technology that provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes, from point-to-point links to portable Internet access.

It provides up to 75 symmetric broadband speed without the need for cables. It is based on the so-called Broadband Wireless Access.

WiMAX was the same technology used by the MMDA in the installation of traffic surveillance cameras along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa), the metropolis' main thoroughfare.

Under the Univer-City concept, the MMDA will make the area more livable and conducive to education.

Additional traffic lights and lamppost will be put up in the area. Traffic rules, particularly for illegal parking and pink lines, will be strictly imposed.

Police sub-station will also be put up to deter criminal elements.

The project will also see to it that the heritage of the city, including its rich cultural history, will be preserved for the next generations.

U-belt is the unofficial name of the de facto sub-district in Manila where there is a high concentration of higher education institutions.

"We are planning to turn this area into an urban center or Univer-City complete with the basic features of a well-designed conducive to learning in coordination with the school management, the Manila City Government, and police officials," Fernando said. (AH/Sunnex)