Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for Infostructure Management, Cyber Security, and Upskilling Jeffrey Ian C. Dy has started overhauling the implementation of the Free WiFi program to be aligned with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to review the sustainability of key DICT programs. This move, which commenced days after the resignation of Secretary Ivan John E. Uy, is also in line with the government’s broader rationalization of initiatives.
Undersecretary Dy says that the Free WiFi Program requires reevaluation and restructuring as they are currently spending PhP 6.5 billion to provide Internet access to more than 7,000 locations.
He added that there are more cost-effective alternatives if they enter into long-term agreements. Currently, they are in discussions with a Low Earth Orbit provider for a potential discount to enhance connectivity in schools. The provider offered an aggregated 200Mbps (Maximum Information Rate) for 10,000 school locations for only PhP 1.5 billion per year with a 10-year contract.
Beyond school connectivity, 40,000 additional locations have been identified for multicasting education content to further improve learning accessibility nationwide.
Undersecretary Dy also mentioned that President Marcos has directed DICT to allocate PhP 5 billion for the SIM Card ng Bayan Act, which may be a “…more sustainable alternative to the Free WiFi program.” This initiative aims to support the expansion of permanent cell site towers by subsidizing a portion of the cost for telcos and common tower providers. The subsidy will be provided in the form of free 25GB Internet subscriptions for students within the coverage of these towers.
At the core of this initiative is the Common Tower Program, which is designed to expand mobile network coverage. As network infrastructure grows, DICT will be able to leverage these permanent towers to deploy broadband wireless access and further increased the number of Internet access points across the country
