AS PART of its nationwide campaign to provide free internet for all, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Visayas launched a free Wi-Fi site in the Ramos Public Market.

DICT Visayas Director Leo Cipriano Urbiztondo Jr. said the new Wi-Fi site would help local vendors connect to a larger market of consumers.

“If they know how to utilize the internet then it would help them greatly. We would also conduct an internet media information literacy seminar to teach them how to take advantage of the internet as well as cybersecurity and data privacy,” he told SunStar Cebu.

He added this would usher in more economic activities within the community, especially for vendors who want to directly advertise their products online.

“If they know how to maximize (this technology assistance) then they would benefit from this,” he said.

Besides linking the vendors to the digital economy, Urbiztondo said the free Wi-Fi will provide internet services to the soon-to-be launched Innovation Center that is in partnership with the Cebu Innovation Council.

The center will cater to startups and entrepreneurs who don’t have access to proper funding. It will also act as an incubator for startups where they would get regular mentoring and progress briefings.

The Wi-Fi site in Ramos is the agency’s ninth public Wi-Fi site in Cebu.

The DICT has also provided 19 government offices in Cebu with fiber optic internet connectivity.

The DICT’s Free Wi-Fi for All is the agency’s digital empowerment program which aims to connect Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao through free Wi-Fi connectivity.

As of September 2019, there were 2,984 live internet hotspots in the country. The DICT eyes to launch 200,000 Wi-Fi sites under the Duterte administration. (JOB)