DICT BARES DEPLOYMENT OF FREE WiFi SITES

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has deployed 6,723 free Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) in select places in the country.

DICT said the program will continue to increase in the next three years.

In a statement, the DICT said the Free Wi-Fi for All sites were installed in 1,021 municipalities and cities in 80 provinces, including Metro Manila.

“The DICT is targeting the rollout of a total of 10,069 live sites until the end of 2020, with plans to establish up to 100,000 Wi-Fi access sites by the year 2023 following the deployment of the National Broadband Program,” the DICT said.

Due to the challenges brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the DICT said the program’s “intensified rollout” presently prioritizes the education sector.

“Presently, the program has established free Wi-Fi sites in 138 public libraries, 1018 public schools, 967 State Universities/Colleges, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) institutions,” it said.

One of the institutions recently granted free Wi-Fi was the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Education, Training, and Doctrine Command (AFPETDC) in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The AFPETDC, which also houses the AFP Command General Staff College (CGSC), provides professional military education to AFP uniformed personnel for higher command responsibilities and doctrine development.