Access to free WiFi widened

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is ramping up the deployment of faster and free WiFi access to public hospitals as part of its program to provide free internet access nationwide.

Information and Communications Technology Gregorio Honasan on Friday inaugurated free WiFi access points in three more public hospitals in Quezon City, namely the V. Luna Medical Center, East Avenue Medical Center, and Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

A day after taking his oath of office early this month, Honasan also launched free WiFi access points at Quirino Memorial Medical Center.

Honasan said providing free internet access in government hospitals would be a priority under his leadership.

“Connectivity between the patients and the loved ones is very important, as it will reduce the stress of separation. So we will be harnessing the power of digital technology,” Honasan said.

Honasan said the DICT would duplicate the effort in a nationwide scope, starting with the government hospitals in Metro Manila.

“The marching orders of the President is to connect everybody to everybody, faster, cheaper and more secure,” he said.

As of end June, the DICT has 53 integrated free WiFi internet sites in public hospitals in the country. 

“We have a backlog for free WiFi in hospitals. We will be doing this in sequence,” Honasan said.

“We have certain targets (for the free WiFi project), we are constantly reworking our figures. Performance will speak for itself based on the instructions of the President,” he said.

Meanwhile, the DICT as of end-May has established 2,442 free public WiFi sites covering 17 regions, 73 provinces, and 662 municipalities across the country through the Pipol Konek–Free WiFi Internet Access in Public Places project.

Last month, then DICT acting secretary Eliseo Rio said the agency is accelerating the development of more free WiFi hotspots across the country as it plans to have in place 10,000 sites that are capable of providing free internet access nationwide by next year.

Once the goal of 10,000 free WiFi hotspots nationwide is achieved next year, Rio said his agency intends to further double the number before the term of President Duterte ends in 2022.