Makati working on City-Wide Free Public WiFi

A Facebook post from Makati City congressman Luis Campos shows an engineering crew installing posts and cables to implement the city-wide free public Wi-Fi system that the city has been eyeing for a number of years now.

The initiative has been around since as early as 2012, when it started with Makati City Hall becoming a Wi-Fi zone in July of that year. The wireless hotspots in Makati City hall are a result of a partnership between the city government and PLDT.

In August of 2017, Mayor Abby Binay, who had also mentioned city-wide Wi-Fi as one of her projects in her campaign, signed contracts with partners from the private sector, notably Converge ICT and Neo Tech Asia Distribution.

In partnership with said companies, the city government is establishing a public Wi-Fi system called the ‘Fiber Optic Loop project’, which will provide internet connectivity to 27 barangays, excluding upscale areas such as Forbes Park and Dasmariñas Village.

Additionally, Makati has also partnered with Aim Technologies Inc. and Market Researct Knowledge Technology Inc. to install mobile signal boosters for better cellular and internet connectivity.

The city’s bid to be a ‘Smart City’ also includes paperless transactions, e-currency through the Makatizen card, and online payment for violations.

Makati’s City-Wide free public Wi-Fi is expected to finally launch later this year.

Source 1

Source 2