By Espie Angelica A. de Leon
Smart Communications, in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), is activating on June 12, Independence Day, its free Wi-Fi service open to subscribers of all networks.
At a press briefing at the Shangri-la Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City, the company said Smart Wi-Fi is now available at all 13 MRT platforms as well as the street-level stretch of Edsa between Guadalupe and Ortigas, for an initial 30 minutes free every day without data cap.
Soon, the service will be rolled out to cover the entire stretch of Edsa.
?You can actually connect to Wi-Fi with good coverage even if you?re still far from the station. That?s the perk of having Smart Wi-Fi,? said Marvin Acantilado, Smart Wi-Fi design lead.
Acantilado added that Smart promises great Wi-Fi connection even while watching videos on You Tube, iflix, and others.
To connect and start browsing, the user has to look for the Smart Wi-Fi sign in the MRT station, turn on the connection, and select #Smartwifi @MRT-Edsa.
The 30-minute Wi-Fi allotment per day may be extended by purchasing Smart Wi-Fi load from retailers nationwide in denominations of P20 for two hours, valid for two days and P50 for 10 hours, valid for five days.
Users may also convert their Smart, Sun, and TNT load to Smart Wi-Fi minutes by texting their preferred denominations ? WIFI10, WIFI20, OR WIFI50 to 9991.
?We?re happy with this service. And we hope that with Smart Wi-Fi, we?ll be able to help out the 500,000 MRT daily commuters and the 326,000 cars that ply Edsa everyday,? said Clarita Elvira S. Guevarra, senior manager for marketing operations of Smart.
Smart Wi-Fi service is also available at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Light Railway Transit, other key regional airports, seaports, and transport hubs all over the Philippines, tourist spots, schools, hospitals, city halls, malls, restaurants, theme parks, and major hang-out areas called Smart Spots.
