The Department of Information and Communications Technology said it is set to deploy free Wi-Fi sites through Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) facilities in remote islands in Mindanao this March.
The islands of Taganak and Mapun in Tawi-Tawi will be provided with two VSAT facility each. Twenty four other communities in the Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi (BASULTA) area will also get VSAT facilities.
Likewise, the DICT will also provide four desktop computer packages to the local government unit (LGU) of Taganak Island and four more will be given to Mapun Island LGU.
Meanwhile, 21 thin client (a computer that runs from resources stored on a central server instead of a localized hard drive) packages will be given to Mapun National High School and Turtle Islands National High School.
The Western Command of the AFP under Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. will be providing security and facilitate the deployment of DICT teams who will install the VSAT facilities and Wi-Fi equipment to the beneficiary areas.
According to MinDA chairman Emmanuel Piñol, residents of the islands need to go to higher elevations to get cellphone signals from a Malaysian telecommunication facility. With the help of DICT and MinDA, the people from these areas will no longer be isolated from the rest of the country, he said.
Below is the list of locations in BASULTA area that will be provided with free Internet connectivity this first semester.
