Cebu City to set up more public Wi-Fi

CEBU, Philippines — As a step towards becoming a smart city, the Cebu City Government continuously provides free Wi-Fi services to public schools and areas that are expected to benefit students and tourists the most.

This was announced by Councilor Jaypee Labella, chairman of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology of the City Council, in an interview with The Freeman yesterday.

Labella disclosed that at least 26 public schools in Cebu City have already been provided with free Wi-Fi, while the Plaza Sugbo Grounds and Plaza Independencia are set to pilot their free Wi-Fi service as well.

Today, Labella said the City is set to conduct speed testing at Plaza Independencia. After this, both Plaza Sugbo and Plaza Independencia will be fully operational and ready for public use.

Labella said this project was launched in public spaces, such as Plaza Sugbo and Plaza Independencia to benefit tourists the most. He added that it is important for tourists to have access to the internet while traveling in the city to better inform themselves about the places they would choose to visit.

“And they can also, labi pa sa mga communication nila, abot nila diri sa city,” said Labella.

Labella assured that the reception of the public Wi-Fi will be fast enough to accommodate a large crowd, emphasizing that it was the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) that provided Cebu City with the bandwidth for connection.

It was only Cebu City that built the access points, which cost P4 million for both areas at Plaza Sugbo Grounds and Plaza Independencia. Labella said the City Government chose these areas because they are frequently visited by tourists and students.

In addition to these areas, Labella said they have also provided free public Wi-Fi to public schools. Currently, they have accommodated 26 public schools.

Labella said that the installation of public Wi-Fi is just the beginning of Cebu City's vision to become a smart city. He added that their primary objective is to help students by providing internet connections to support their studies.

“What is important is maka-research sila, magamit sila, but mao lagi na, they have to use it wisely kay naa man guy uban nga abusaran,” said Labella.

To regulate its use, Labella said they have implemented a registration scheme that limits usage.

“We really want them to use it wisely,” said Labella.

He also mentioned that they are working on eliminating the “spaghetti” or dangling wires in Cebu City as one of the steps towards achieving its goal of becoming a smart city. (CEBU NEWS)