PLDT, SubicTel to set up WiFi zones in Subic

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and subsidiary SubicTel has powered WiFi zones in 125 establishments in the former US military base in Subic.

PLDT and SubicTel recently signed up agreement with 12 more merchants led by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to provide premium WiFi service within the freeport and economic zone.

Aside from SBMA, other establishments that signed the WiFi zone partnership agreement include Aristocrat Restaurant, All Hands Beach Resort, Bayfront Hotel, Eastern Gasoline Station, Meat Plus Restaurant, Networx Jetsports, Royal Duty Free Shop, Subic Bay Yacht Club, The Lighthouse Marina Resort, Zoobic Safari as well as Pier One Bar and Grill.

PLDT Home Wired Data head Gary Dujali said Subic is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the country.

“We are happy to provide WiFi service which enables tourists and residents of Subic to connect to the Internet that gives them access to various travel and news sites, as well as social networks like Facebook and Twitter where they share photos and videos of their travels with friends and family,” he stressed.

Ma. Myla Margarita C. Villanueva, PLDT Home Data Acquisition senior manager, said the WiFi zone powered by PLDT is a value-added service that offers a premium and a dedicated line with speed of up to 100 mbps to partner-establishments.

Villanueva explained that one deciding factor for a customer who wants to go to a restaurant, hotel, or any establishment, is to check whether it’s a WiFi zone-enabled area because people want to be connected with family, friends, and loved ones.

“When you’re at home, you have the PLDT myDSL connection, when you go out, you also want to be connected and the WiFi zone makes this possible,” she explained.

PLDT representatives provide a WiFi ID to customers which can be obtained by simply registering on the PLDT WiFi zone website at www.wifizone.pldthome.com. Customers can use the ID anywhere in the 3,500 WiFi hotspots nationwide. All they need is just one username and password and it gives them instant access to the Internet.

WiFi zones are equipped with a very robust, fixed line infrastructure by PLDT, thus owners of establishments no longer need to invest on the infrastructure.

SubicTel president Dennis Magbatoc said the company is the only telco provider that is investing in the WiFi service.

“We ourselves are putting up the WiFi zone infrastructure not just in Metro Manila but also in key cities like Subic and Clark. We are continuously enhancing this service to ensure that a stable, premium WiFi connection is delivered to our subscribers,” he said.

Likewise, SBMA Telephony Standards officer-in-charge Joey Lacanlale said the WiFi zone is a value-added service that enables employees to access the Internet easily, helping them accomplish work assignments.

Zoobic Safari’s sales/marketing officer Jonathan Oca said WiFi service is extremely important.

“In the innovation aspect of a theme park like Zoobic Safari, we have a lot of online services. Mostly, our products are sold online, we also have Facebook and Twitter campaigns, so WiFi is really very helpful to us and our customers,” Oca said.