DOST activates free Wi-Fi at Rizal Park, QC Elliptical Circle today
Rizal Park in Manila is not only smoke-free, it also has free Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) starting today and so with the Quezon City Memorial Elliptical Circle (QMEC).
The launching of the free Wi-Fi zones at the Rizal Park and Elliptical circle is the initial phase of the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) 1.408-billion
“Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places” project to improve internet connectivity in the rural areas and give residents more opportunities for learning and livelihood and better access to government service.
The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Office of the DOST said both the Rizal Park and the QMEC have six access points (hotspots) each.
DOST Undersecretary Louis Napoleon Casambre said the Wi-Fi at the two sites will be switch on today during the opening of the 2015 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) at SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City “as part of an alpha launch test” to provide the ICT Office a means to assess the system and make the necessary adjustments before the free Wi-Fi project rolls out in full scale this year.
While expecting a maximum number of 4,550 current internet users in the Manila and QC sites, the ICT Office “is prepared to provide and maintain the speed and connection quality for up to 105,000 users.”
The ICT is not putting a cap on the free Wi-Fi’s speed.
The DOST is counting on the free WiFi project to be a huge step in improving the lives of Filipinos in the countryside once it goes full swing nationwide.
Other projected hotspots in Quezon City are Quezon City Hall, PHILCOA, Social Security System (SSS), and Land Transportation Office (LTO).
The ICT Office is implementing the “Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places,” while bidding for the infrastructure is ongoing. Two of the country’s major telecommunications companies and some small players have joined the bidders.
The DOST believes on the project’s key role in helping improve the living conditions of Filipinos, particularly those in the rural areas.
A World Bank study found that “lowincome and middle-income countries” gained “about 1.38 percentage point increase in GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for each 10 percent of increase in (broadband) penetration in the years between 2000 and 2006 and that broadband’s development impact is higher for emerging economies than high-income countries.”
Ms. Bettina Quimson, deputy executive director of ICT Office said helping those in the rural areas to reap the ben- of internet connectivity will jumpstart their economic development.
She said the free Wi-Fi is complemented by another DOST initiative -- the P56-million Technology for Education and Development (Tech4ED) Project for the establishment of computer centers covered by the internet access points.
Many local government units are now on board for their Tech4ED centers, Quimson added.
The ICT Office has been promoting online jobs in various areas of the country.
“Internet has changed the way we live and the way we can reach our own success. Free Internet Access in Public Place Project of the DOST will help a lot of residents of un-served and underserved areas in the country to have more opportunities for learning and livelihood and better access to government services,” DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo said.
Target areas for over 7,000 sites with at least four hotspots each in more than 900 municipalities are public primary and secondary schools, public libraries, state universities and colleges, parks, rural health units and government hospitals, MRT and LRT stations, airports, seaports and land terminals, city and municipal halls, and national government offices.