The DICT awarded Converge the contract to supply free Wi-Fi connectivity to 36 municipal sites in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte and four municipal sites in La Union.
Starlink, the satellite-based Internet service of SpaceX, will become part of the mix of broadband sources that the government will tap to deliver the free WiFi program to the public.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian urged the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to ensure that it would hit its target in rolling out Internet connection in public places, including educational institutions.
Former DICT undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. refuted on Tuesday, June 1, the statement of the DICT claiming that Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) technology provides cheaper and faster Internet to remote areas of the country.
The fresh allocation for the Free Internet Wi-Fi Connectivity in Public Places Project is lodged in the budget of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) for 2021.
In preparation for online learning this school year, the DICT said it has opened six Tech4ED Centers in San Fabian, Pangasinan and activated three Wi-Fi sites in Happy Valley in Baguio City.
