Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Free public Wi-Fi Internet access will be rolled out on July 24 by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) starting with six key areas in Metro Manila.
The first six areas to test out the free public Wi-Fi are the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City Hall, Philippine Coconut Authority (Philcoa), SSS East Avenue office, the LTO Central Office — all of which are located in Quezon City — and Rizal Park in Manila, as announced by DOST officials on Thursday (July 16).
The free public Wi-Fi will then be rolled out in stages in key areas nationwide by the Department of Science and Technology’s Information and Communications Technology Office (DOST-ICTO).
It will be accessible in places such as public schools, parks, libraries, national and local government offices, public hospitals and rural health units, airports, seaports, and LRT-MRT stations.
The program will be rolled out in 997 towns and cities before the year ends.
Speed bumps
The free public Wi-Fi will still adhere to the Fair Usage Policy (FUP) that will impose limits on the amount of data a user will be allowed to transfer, as typically done by all mobile broadband providers to ensure that they can service as many users as possible.
Each user will have a minimum data cap of 50 MB (megabyte) to a maximum of 300 MB per day, depending on which level you are registered to.
Related: Know more about how you can register for the free public Wi-Fi
Internet speed will begin at a minimum of 256 kbps (kilobits per second) — the lowest prevailing speed requirement for a broadband service.
But officials are considering removing the speed limit once the program gets going.
The DOST admitted that the browsing speed will depend on the volume of users at a given time.
The project, “Free Wi-Fi Internet Access in Public Places,” states that upon completion, it will serve 105,000 users.
Don’t cancel your Internet subscription promo just yet, because the government’s free public Wi-Fi service is not going to be better than what your Internet service provider offers.
“The free Wi-Fi will not exceed commercial services,” said DOST Undersecretary Louis Casambre.
Casambre, however, said that the program is a good step to getting Filipinos connected to the Web — at least for basic needs such as for research, email, and even social media sites that are not image-heavy.
Potentially harmful websites, such as porn sites, will be blocked.
Read: How to protect your data when using public Wi-Fi
The DOST says there will be workshops and seminars to ensure broad participation in the program.
