CICT pushes for creation of org for icafe operators

CEBU, Philippines - The Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) is pushing for the creation of a national organization for Internet Café industry in the Philippines, to strengthen its position as an important tool to improve digital literacy in the country.

CICT secretary Ray Anthony Roxas-Chua III said that the commission is looking at creating a national organization for Internet Café players in the Philippines or single federation of Internet Café operators which would become a unified voice for the industry.

“The Internet cafes all over the country are reaching more Filipinos and at the same time providing access to the information highway,” he said.

Roxas-Chua likewise urged Internet Café operators all over the country to join the first Internet Café Summit that is opening today (October 21) in Manila.

He said the popularity of Internet Café’s in the Philippines “shows us the readiness of our people to use the Internet,” he stressed.

Roxas-Chua vowed to help the I-Café Pilipinas in looking for ways to improve the service, thereby addressing the digital divide.

Tough competition

In Cebu, one of the problems identified by players in Internet Café business is the tough competition and absence of standard rates that kill some of the players.

According to Francis Lim, owner of one of the largest Internet Café chains in Cebu, if it’s not for the gaming services, more Internet Cafes will have difficulties in sustaining their businesses.

From an average per hour rate of P25 in the last few years, per hour rent has dropped to as low as P6 per hour, due to the tough competition in the market.

However, for the large players like Voyager, Lim said the company maintained a P20 per hour cap, to stay in the business, while provide perks for Internet users such as faster connection, upgraded hardware and software, improved quality of service, cleanliness and ambiance.

Online gaming market surprisingly, he said is not only dominated by the young generation, but also by young professionals who go to Internet Café regularly to play LAN (Local Area Network) games.

While a lot of Internet cafés have folded in the last few years because of bottleneck competition, Lim said others are thriving, as they have continuously invested on sustainable measures like software and hardware upgrade, and providing conducive ambiance both for gamers, and web browsers. --- Ehda M. Dagooc