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In 217 Eastern Visayas locations, free Wi-Fi enhances internet access.

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – In the last four years, free public Wi-Fi has been deployed in 217 locations in Eastern Visayas, with a focus on health facilities and Covid-19 vaccination sites, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

According to DICT Eastern Visayas Regional Director Felix Tabanao Jr., the DICT invested at least PHP26.8 million in 2021 to complete the project in the region’s six provinces, responding to increased demand for connection.

120 places in Leyte, 41 in Southern Leyte, 37 in Eastern Samar, 12 in Biliran, six in Samar, and one in Northern Samar are covered by the free Wi-Fi project.

“Since 2020, the DICT has prioritized the roll-out and improvement of ICT equipment and infrastructure throughout the country, particularly in public hospitals, vaccination sites, and Covid-19 facilities to support government initiatives in mitigating the effects of the ongoing pandemic,” Tabanao said (PNA).

The DICT prioritized health facilities to enhance the government’s pandemic response and recovery due to a limited budget and increased demand for internet connectivity.

Terminals, airports, schools, government buildings, and other public areas are also covered.

“The objective is to construct our own digital infrastructure so that we can serve our people, particularly those who live in geographically distant and underprivileged places around the region,” says the statement. Because it is mandated under the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act, we are confident that this will be maintained under the next administration,” Tabanao noted.

The absence of national broadband in the Visayas prompted the DICT to use the region’s provinces’ existing managed internet services.

The DICT establishes an internet connection in rural places using a very small aperture terminal (VSAT).

“The access point provides coverage up to 50 meters away.” According to Dante Rosales, chief of the DICT regional technical operations section, “this can accommodate around 50 to 100 devices linked at once.”

The DICT’s Free Wi-Fi for All – Free Public Internet Access Program intends to speed up the government’s efforts to provide Internet access for Filipinos in order to improve economic, social, and educational opportunities and close the digital gap.

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