Public Wi-Fi expansion sought
A CONGRESSMAN on Sunday urged the government to fast-track its expansion of public Wi-FI infrastructure nationwide to help boost digital connectivity, supporting economic growth.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) should build at least 50,000 free public Wi-Fi stations nationwide to help spur economic growth, Makati Rep. Luis N. Campos, Jr. said, citing a study that increasing the country’s internet penetration rate could lead to an economic boom.
“Our target is at least 50,000 Wi-Fi hotspots where the public can freely access the internet,” he said in a statement. “This means the DICT must put up 36,538 new hotspots on top of the 13,462 already built as of June 2024.”
A 2022 report by the World Bank showed that only 33% of Philippine households have access to fixed broadband, while 70% of the population have an active mobile broadband subscription.
Broadband internet remains costlier in the Philippines than in neighboring countries, with the annual charge for fixed broadband equivalent to 11% of per capita gross national income. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio