Smart, Globe offer free internet on Edsa

Heavy traffic along Santolan area as workers from Department of Public Works and Highways workers conduct concrete reblocking at Nepa Q-Mart along Edsa, Quezon City, December 5, 2015. NINO JESUS ORBETA

Telco giants PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom rolled out on Monday WiFi internet along Edsa, Metro Manila’s busiest road.

PLDT’s Smart Communications and Globe announced separately that their WiFi service would be available along the entire 24-kilometer stretch of Edsa, which cuts through Caloocon, Quezon City, San Juan, Pasay and major business districts such as Mandaluyong and Makati.

Smart and Globe said free WiFi would be available for the first 30 minutes, after which subscribers would be asked to pay for their data usage.

The service was launched in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology, in line with President Duterte’s call for better internet quality.

Smart said in a statement that it had launched carrier-grade WiFi along Edsa, which would benefit half a million riders of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 that runs along the thoroughfare apart from passengers in over 326,000 vehicles that use Edsa daily. Globe did the same via its GoWiFi platform.

“With the Smart Wifi rollout on Edsa, we are providing highest class data architecture connectivity for the thousands of commuters who pass through the MRT stations and ply the stretch of Edsa traffic every day, so they can boost their daily productivity,” Eric R. Alberto, PLDT chief revenue officer, said in a statement.

“We’re paving the way for our customers to avail themselves of a swift and dependable option when connecting to the internet, especially when they are on the go,” Globe Chief Commercial Officer Albert de Larrazabal said.

DICT is targeting to reach more than 13,000 public places across 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities nationwide.

Information and Communication Secretary Rodolfo Salalima said PLDT and Globe would be using “different schemes and access points for this free public Wi-Fi offering.”

Globe said its GoWIFI was first deployed in MRT-3 stations a year ago as part of the initial 126 hotspots and 2,500 access points opened by Globe for public use.

The service is also available in malls, other major transportation hubs such as select stations of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system and key airports around the country such as those in Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao as well as in top tourist destinations like Boracay and Lio, El Nido, Palawan.  –Miguel R. Camus