Wi-Fi at NAIA gets major upgrade

MANILA, Philippines - Over 30 million travelers who use the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals every year now have high-speed Internet access after PLDT and Smart Communications upgraded their connectivity services in the airport yesterday.

Each of the four terminals of NAIA now has a Wi-Fi capacity of 1 gigabit per second, allowing up to 3,000 users to access the Internet simultaneously.

“This state of the art communications infrastructure will help boost the country’s tourism industry. Today’s travelers are constantly online and rely on mobile apps for information and services that make their trips more enjoyable and productive,” said PLDT and Smart president and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Earlier, PLDT and Smart rolled out carrier-grade Wi-Fi service to 11 regional airports, which served about 15 million passengers in 2015.

This was done under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Transportation to install high-speed Wi-Fi service in key transport hubs all over the country within the first 100 days of the Duterte administration.

The first deployment of carrier-grade Smart Wi-Fi was in Davao City’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport on July 19.

This was followed by Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental, Bacolod-Silay International Airport and Iloilo International Airport, Roxas Airport, Zamboanga Airport, Clark International Airport, Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport, Laoag International Airport, General Santos International Airport, Kalibo International Airport.

Smart Wi-Fi has also been installed in the Batangas International Port in Batangas City and Calapan City Port in Mindoro.

Upcoming deployments include the airports of Caticlan in Boracay, Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Tagbilaran in Bohol.

High-speed internet will also be installed in the terminals of MRT and LRT in Metro Manila.

More high traffic areas such as city halls, schools, hospitals and malls, among others, will be covered by the service over time.

“This partnership with the government is a great example of a public and private partnership for the benefit of the public. With the installation of Smart Wi-Fi at NAIA terminals we are on track to meeting our commitment to government to make available carrier-grade Wi-Fi services in major transport hubs all over the country, which will be a boon to domestic and international tourism,” said Eric Alberto, executive vice president for PLDT/Smart.

Smart has allocated about P1 billion for the first phase of the deployment of carrier-grade Smart Wi-Fi. This is part of the PLDT Group’s P48-billion capital expenditure program for 2016, which is focused on improving data connectivity throughout the country using both fixed and wireless services.

“Smart Wi-Fi complements our mobile internet service that we are also boosting through the deployment of enhanced LTE and 3G coverage all over the country. This is part of Smart’s three-year network improvement program, which has already integrated the use of additional radio frequency spectrum such as the 700 MHz band that we have gained access to as a result of the acquisition of the telecom business of San Miguel Corporation,” said Kat Luna-Abelarde, FVP and wireless consumer operations head of Smart.

Lisa Chavez, a human resource executive who was visiting Davao for the weekend, said she likes to be “in the loop” while traveling.

“I can talk to my friends about the Blugre durian dessert that I ate, and I can also Instagram breathtaking views in Eden Nature Park,” she said.

“Smart Wi-Fi with high-speed internet connectivity will give quality online time while waiting for one’s flights. I can post real-time updates of my travel through social media platforms, especially videos, in no time,” said Vincent Tom Udasco, a photographer and blogger from Cagayan de Oro City.

Vanessa Villaflores, a migrant worker bound for Japan, said Smart Wi-Fi allowed her to maximize the remaining time before she leaves to connect with her family – like she’s still at home.

“Facebook is my way of connecting with my family when I’m away. Smart Wi-Fi complements my mobile data services, allowing me to message my loved ones and share photos and updates to them, allowing me to spend more time with them before I leave,” she said.

Pangilinan, for his part, said he was impressed with the ease of accessing the internet at NAIA, which he simply described as “wow.”

He said a world-class airport like NAIA was complemented by a world class internet access that only took two months to install.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said their next move is to install high-tech closed circuit television (CCTV) in all airports and seaports to ensure the safety of all passengers. – Louella Desiderio