The 24 kilometer Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) is now a WiFi Zone. This was inaugurated last June 12, 2017 by no less than the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).
The service is for free and initially covers the stretch of Cubao, Quezon City to Guadalupe, Makati.
This translates to access to information such as weather, education, government sites and services and even online jobs applications and availability information.
According to DICT Sec. Salalima, the broadband speed is up to 200 Mbps and any speed that is less than 2 digits is near improbable.
“People would be more connected as a result of better communication,” said presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella during the launch of the project.
“DICT has gained traction in the everyday lives of our people. It plays an important role in nation-building, forming part of the overarching goal of President Duterte in building a united Philippines where there is comfortable life for all,” Abella said
Also, this is in line with June as National Information and Communications Technology Month, making this a validation of President Duterte’s promise during his first State of the Nation Address last July 2016.
Initial testing made by members of the media during the launch confirmed of speeds of up to 120 Mbps and lows of 85 Mbps.
Although based upon interviews, the reception by the public was mixed citing intermittent coverage or lower broadband speeds.
Sec. Salalima stressed that higher broadband speeds are guaranteed by the providers. Also, he stressed that downloading or streaming is not covered by the free WiFi service, more so pornographic sites are automatically blocked.
Security for the connections is also assured by the DICT and participating Telcos, pointing out that the service cannot be used for streaming and that users' handles are masked thereby preventing would-be snoopers from attempting to hack into users' devices.
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