Over 233,000 people get free Wi-Fi in Central Visayas public places

FREE WI-FI The “Free Wi-Fi for All” program gives 233,048 unique users free internet access in 1,097 schools, government offices, hospitals and other public places in Central Visayas. During the Bagong Pilipinas forum on Wednesday (Nov. 20, 2024), DICT-7 assistant regional director Ramil Jeff Taboso said that there are 460 ‘Free Wi-Fi for All’ sites in Cebu, 330 in Bohol, 232 in Negros Oriental and 75 in Siquijor as of November of 2024. (Contributed photo)

CEBU CITY — More than 233,000 unique users got free internet access under the “Free Wi-Fi for All” program of the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), an official said on Wednesday.

At the Bagong Pilipinas forum, Ramil Jeff Taboso, assistant regional director of DICT-7 (Central Visayas), said the number of unique users is enjoying free Wi-Fi access in 1,097 schools, government offices, hospitals, and other public spaces across the region.

Taboso said there are 460 “Free Wi-Fi for All” sites in Cebu, 330 in Bohol, 232 in Negros Oriental, and 75 in Siquijor, as of this month.

“We have a fixed public internet connectivity, mostly in remote areas. We install them in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the country,” he added.

Taboso also said the DICT continues to provide the best internet connectivity to government offices, with 94 of them being national government agencies, local government units, colleges, and universities, as well as government-owned and controlled corporations in Central Visayas.

The agency prepositioned communication assets through its Mobile Operation Vehicle Emergencies (MOVE) to provide temporary connectivity to local government units during calamities or disasters, he said.

“We have a Mobile Operation Vehicle for Emergencies, or MOVE set, that we use. That equipment is used to support LGUs, as right now, our LGUs need data connection even during calamities,” he added.

The MOVE set is connected to Starlink and other reliable internet service providers that can provide non-stop connection, even during emergencies, he added. (PNA)