THE Department of Information and Communications Technology in Central Visayas (DICT 7) is aiming to collaborate with local government units (LGUs) to hasten the installation of more free public Wi-Fi sites across the region.
DICT 7 Director Frederick Amores said on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, that the region has a low figure of active free public Wi-Fi sites.
Amores, however, declined to give the agency’s target number of free public Wi-Fi sites that it wants to install in the region due to an upcoming national planning for this program later this month.
As of April 2023, there were 3,961 active free public Wi-Fi sites in 493 localities across the country. DICT aims to set up 9,762 additional sites in public areas, and 162 sites in state universities and colleges (SUCs) by the end of the year.
In Central Visayas, there are 137 active free public Wi-Fi sites—57 in Negros Oriental, 43 in Cebu, 35 in Bohol, and two in Siquijor, Amores said during his presentation at the Regional Multistakeholders’ Consultation on the National ICT Development Agenda held in One Central Hotel, Cebu City on Tuesday.
Most of these free public Wi-Fi sites are located inside SUCs, accounting for 74 percent of the total active sites as of June 2023. Nine percent are in public schools, seven percent in the offices of national government agencies, four percent in LGU offices, three percent in government-owned hospitals, and one percent in public plazas.
Amores said DICT 7 wants to spread these active sites to other locations in LGUs.
LGU partnership
By directly partnering with the LGUs, Amores said they can significantly fast-track the installation of more active sites in the region, as the LGUs can help identify potential areas for free Wi-Fi access, particularly in barangays and areas with limited or zero internet access.
“Before, DICT had to do all the work like paying the contractor and installation, which proved to be a very slow process. But it is much faster if we work with the LGUs since they know the right places to set them up,” Amores said in a mix of Cebuano and English.
He added that DICT has provisioned two gigabyte (GB) bulk bandwidth in Central Visayas Areas of Responsibility.
The installation of free public Wi-Fi sites is under the government’s Free Wi-Fi for All program, which provides free Wi-Fi internet access in selected public areas across the country.
To increase the number of active sites in Cebu province, DICT 7 has ongoing collaborations with the LGUs of Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Danao City, Bogo City, Naga City, Toledo City, Carcar City, San Remigio, and Sogod.
It also has future collaborations with the towns of Cordova, Moalboal, Tuburan, Asturias, and Argao.
Under this partnership, DICT provides the bandwidth, which it subscribes to from an internet service provider.
The receiving LGUs will then identify an area for the installation of access point sites or devices that project bandwidth or Wi-Fi signals in a designated area or sites.
Budget
According to data given by DICT 7, the central office has prepared a tentative budget of over P170 million for the setup of 847 additional access points or Wi-Fi hotspots across Central Visayas for 2023.
Amores clarified that a free public Wi-Fi site is not meant for personal consumption such as streaming of movies or mobile gaming, but it is for accessing government online services.
Based on the 2019 National ICT Household Survey, the percentage of households with internet access stood at only 18 percent, while the average monthly spending for internet connection at home was at P1,280.59.
The data suggests that internet accessibility continues to be a struggle for most Filipino households, even as the demand for internet access continues to increase, as it is now a major requisite for sectors and industries in adapting to the current digital economic environment, according to DICT. (EHP)