DICT expands free Wi-Fi access

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) of the Philippines is ramping up the availability of free internet access in the country, last week confirming that – in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) – it has activated a further 31 Wi-Fi sites in the provinces of Albay, Isabela, Lanao Del Sur, Palawan, and the city of Davao. Under the deal with UNDP, the DICT aims to switch on 6,000 Wi-Fi hotspots by the end of 2020, up from 3,362 live sites currently. The drive to improve the availability of free Wi-Fi access is part of a government initiative to foster development in unserved and underserved areas – part of the National Broadband Plan unveiled in June 2018.