MANILA, Philippines — A total of 772 free Wi-Fi sites are set to be established in Mindanao after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. approved the P16.1-billion Philippine Digital Infrastructure Project (PDIP) set to enhance internet connectivity in disadvantaged areas.
Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Jeffry Dy on Wednesday said the PDIP includes the establishment of 772 free Wi-Fi sites in Mindanao, specifically in the Davao and Caraga regions.
“The reason why we’re targeting regions in Mindanao is because even though the entire country has an internet penetration rate of 73.6 percent, approximately 86 million Filipinos have access to internet, this disparity is larger in Mindanao, where in some regions, especially Region 13, the internet penetration rate is lower than 17 percent,” said Dy in a press conference in Malacañang.
Around five to six million users are expected to benefit from the free Wi-Fi project.
The free Wi-Fi speeds are expected to be capped at 50 megabytes per second (Mbps) “with room for 200 Mbps.”
Dy also assured that each free Wi-Fi site will be installed with sensors that detect if it is being used for any illegal activities.
Dy explained that the PDIP —funded by a $288 million World Bank loan—is the “largest and actually the first of its kind in the Philippines for a loan for digital infrastructure.”