Remote Albay areas also getting free Wi-Fi from gov’t, UNDP

LEGAZPI CITY—The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) in Bicol announced it would set up Wi-Fi facilities in at least 120 sites to bring internet access to remote rural towns in the province of Albay.

Vic Vargas, DICT Bicol assistant director, said the towns of Tiwi, Camalig, Rapu-rapu and Oas were target beneficiaries of the department’s “Free Wi-Fi for All” project being implemented with the help of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

DICT and UNDP have launched on Thursday the nationwide simultaneous switch-on of the Free Wi-Fi for All project aimed at connecting to the internet the remotest communities in the country.

Vargas said the project would initially establish a 10 to 40 megabits per second internet access for remote villages in towns considered as underserved communities in Albay.

He said the initial operation would be served by the existing telco provider in Bicol, but once the DICT completes its backbone with 2 terabytes of internet access, it would be able to service the entire province.

The DICT has earmarked P200 million to finance the project.

In Isabela, DICT, local government and UNDP officials launched a ceremonial switch-on for the project also on Thursday.

Edited by TSB