BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) is ready to install public wifi in fourth to sixth class municipalities around the country once the funds for the government’s inter-connectivity project shall have been earmarked under its annual budget next year.
DICT Assistant Secretary for Cyber Security and Enabling Technology Allan Cabanlong said the installation of the needed infrastructure for the public wifi project has already been subjected to the mandatory public bidding for the provider of the required facilities of the state-of-the-art information and communication technology project.
The public wifi project was previously under the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) information and communication technology division before it was transferred to the DICT after the creation of the new department last year.
Cabanlong explained the public will be able to access the worldwide web once the infrastructure of the public wifi project will be put in place but there will be some restrictions primarily because of cyber security reasons and to protect the people from being subjected to cyber bullying and illegal access to confidential information of users.
He explained the government will be funding the set up and needed infrastructure for the public wifi project for these municipalities primarily to provide the people in the countryside access to the internet for information, communications and networking.
According to him, the government is providing the public with easier access to the internet through the public wifi project but users must be extra careful to protect themselves exposing themselves to platforms that will lead to easy access of their confidential information that could result to cyber bullying, among others.
Jose Rosete, Smart Telecommunications external affairs head, admitted the government’s public wifi project will entail substantial investment due to the required infrastructure, especially in remote villages around the country, considering that the technology to be used will have to be wired to meet inter-connectivity requirements.
Rosete agreed to the need for state-of-the-art infrastructure for the public wifi project to ensure people in the 4th to 6th class municipalities are able to access their desired platforms and transact business online, a much cheaper and time saving alternative, especially to those who are from the remote areas of the archipelago.
Cabanlong assured that the preparatory activities for the implementation of the project will be done by the representatives of the agency and the partner company with the concerned local governments to make sure that the public wifi will be available in public places for enhanced inter-connectivity in the countryside.
He asked for patience from local officials of the beneficiary municipalities in awaiting the implementation of the public wifi project in their areas of jurisdiction because the DICT is currently working on the required bidding to ascertain the agency’s partner company in the implementation of the project. By Dexter A. See
