Philippines to Roll Out Nationwide Free Wi-Fi Service by 2016
Source: Bloomberg
The Philippines is planning free Wi-Fi services to half of its towns and cities this year and nationwide coverage by end-2016, limiting the data revenue prospects for Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. and Globe Telecom Inc.
The free Internet service will cost the government about 1.5 billion pesos ($32 million) a year and will be available in areas such as public schools, hospitals, airports and parks, said Monchito Ibrahim, deputy executive director of the Information and Communications Technology Office.
"If subscribers move to using free public Wi-Fi, telecoms may need to lure them into getting higher-end services," Ibrahim said in a Sept. 4 interview in Makati City, referring to the country's two main phone companies. The governments "focus is on areas that absolutely dont have access."
The new service is expected to push data charges lower in the Philippines. Access to the Internet costs about $18 a megabit per second in the country, more than three times the global average of $5, according to research firm International Data Corp. or IDC.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-07/philippines-to-roll-out-nationwide-free-wi-fi-service-by-2016
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)That they could shut down at any time...saaaay, they don't want any protestors to be able to communicate?
Just a thought.
ForgoTheConsequence
(4,869 posts)They can already shut down cell phone service if they want to. I think this is a great idea.
MADem
(135,425 posts)Access to the internet these days is a necessity. It needs to be regarded as such.
DFW
(54,443 posts)Magandang omaga!
Uncle Joe
(58,424 posts)Thanks for the thread, Recursion.
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)It certainly would help open up new businesses.