Ffee public Wi-Fi has been installed in 50 of the 80 barangays in Cebu City, enabling city residents to access government services and information.
This, after the Cebu City Goverment partnered with private telecommunications company PLDT to roll out free public Wi-Fi services in the 80 barangays across the city.
Such a program is part of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama’s vision of turning Cebu City into a smart city.
Cebu City Management Information and Computer Services head Dax Arcilla told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, that each barangay will have a connection point which will be installed in strategic locations around the city.
The free public Wi-Fi has been installed in strategic, high foot traffic locations, including barangay halls, barangay gyms, sports complexes and other key areas in 50 barangays.
In a press statement, PLDT said cloud-managed access points will also be in place to enable the monitoring of real-time alerts in case of connectivity issues. The public can access the Wi-Fi through an online portal.
Arcilla said the City’s role is the implementation of the Wi-Fi services and monitoring of the network, while PLDT’s responsibility is to provide the equipment and platform.
Arcilla said the City has no capital expenditures but only operational expenses and is spending around P2,000 a month per barangay.
Work on implementing the service for the 50 barangays started last year and was completed around February this year.
Infrastructure lacking
The City is now working on the remaining 30 barangays which are located in mountain areas that lack existing infrastructure such as fiber connections.
The City is looking at a few options in implementing the services in mountain barangays.
Arcilla said there are proponents who have intentions to set up a fiber connection, while another is interested in point-to-point connections.
Arcilla also said he is working with network providers and cell tower contractors to see if they can expand their coverage and that he will evaluate the proposals to see if these are resilient and reliable.
Over the phone, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he is thankful to PLDT and that digitalization is important in reaching his goal of having the city become a smart city. Rama is hoping that in less than three months’ time all barangays will be provided with the service.
“Connectivity, because that is part of the ingredients of a Singapore-like Cebu City,” said Rama when asked for his comment on the program.
PLDT said its support through the program emphasizes the company’s efforts in powering cities and providing them with platforms in achieving digital transformation through their networks. And this is also part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with SDG No. 9 being Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.
“We are fully supportive of the local government of Cebu City’s digital aspirations, and we are happy to be their trusted partner in helping improve the experience of their constituents, especially in maximizing the city’s digitally enabled services,” said Kent de la Calzada, assistant vice president and head of customer relationship management in Visayas and Mindanao.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Ralph Martinez
Quelle/Source: Sun Star, 13.07.2023
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