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UP campuses to have free WiFi hotspots by Smart

Daniel Morial November 2, 2014 · 1 min read

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‘Iskolars ng Bayan’ will have additional free access to the web within all constituent campuses courtesy of Smart Communications.

Smart chief wireless advisor Orlando B. Vea and UP president Alfredo E. Pascual

The University of the Philippines System and Smart Communications recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement that will provide a number of free hotspots across the country’s national university. Under the MOA inked by both parties, Smart will install 120 hotspots initially in various UP campuses. Also, eight additional stations will be added to the current six base stations inside UP.

The free internet access will be limited only to the whitelisted websites by Smart and UP. Other websites can still be accessed for free for 30 minutes per day, and succeeding usage will be charged accordingly.

Source: Smart

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Daniel Morial

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This article was contributed by Daniel Morial, a film school graduate and technology enthusiast. He's the geeky encyclopedia and salesman among his friends for anything tech.

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38 Comments

Brian · 12 years ago

Great. I am just hoping that techs of Smart were way more intelligent than the students. There are lots of ways to go through blocked sites.

Anyway, everyone of use must have access to internet. As what like Pascual said we are now in the 21st century.

archie · 12 years ago

I agree. So many ways to bypass internet blocking. UP should zone the free internet exclusively on their libraries with password and website monitoring server. That way malalaman kung sino talaga ang nag-internet for research purposes.

tmcr7 · 12 years ago

This is great news! Free internet is always good news. Thanks MVP!

archiezalzal · 12 years ago

wow. ang dami mong time magreply kuya. Bumagsak ka ba sa UPCAT kaya nanggagalaiti ka sa balitang ito? #ikawangbutthurt

archie · 12 years ago

UP graduate ako iho. At isang beses lang ako kumuha ng UPCAT. Pero siyempre iba noong panahon ko dahil pag sinabi noon na State U student ka, hindi ka batang hamog na nakapag-UP lang dahil pinakiusap lang sa professor.

weryou@ · 12 years ago

UP grad? Sige nga, ilantad mo student no. mo, batch at course not to mention your campus, some famous profs sa college mo and other things. Madali mag yabang na UP ka. But of course, any UP grad would know na hindi pinagyayabang ang pagiging UP grad, it is always proven. Honor and Excellence.

archie · 12 years ago

At sa mga State U students na magsasabing gusto nyo lang din maranasan ang nararanasan ng mga private students na naka-plan ang mobile phones, manigas kayo. Sisihin nyo ang magulang nyo kung bakit lima o anim kayong magkakapatid na nag-aagawan sa isang hotdog tuwing umaga. Kung gusto nyo ng internet access, mag-aral muna kayo at pag may trabaho na saka kayo magpakasaya. Walang libre sa mundo lahat pinagpapaguran.

archie · 12 years ago

Andami ninyong mga butthurt. Malamang mga estudyante kayo na guilty na di naman ginagamit sa research ang internet kaya nanggagalaiti kayo sa opinyon ko. Mahiya naman kayong mga State U students, taxpayers ang nagpapaaral sa inyo pero wala kayong ibang ginagawa sa internet shop kundi Dota, Facebook at Youtube. At wag kayong ipokrito dahil kahit saang internet shop na malapit sa school kayo pumunta. Puro nakauniporme ang mga naglalaro. Wala akong pakialam sa mga taga private schools dahil magulang naman nila ang mamomroblema pag bumagsak ang mga anak nila pero kayong mga State U students, nipisan nyo naman ang mga mukha ninyo. Puro sahod kamay na nga kayo sa gobyerno, di pa kayo nag-aaral.

@Mike Yeah right. As if kulang pa ang distraction na nakukuha ng mga bata ngayon sa tv at mp3 players. Don’t be a hypocrite alam naman nating hindi laging research ang pinupunta ng mga bata sa internet shops then you’re going to hand them the tools that will make them more stupid.

@Talagaha It’s free morphine for the students, see my comment on Mike. Government make facebook pages for the adults to get involved in the community. Students, on the other hand should stick on studying and don’t get involved in the politics. Look at PUP’s activist, anong ginagawa nila maghapon? nakatambay na may pulang panyo sa noo at naghahanap ng away. Puro makibaka kesa mag-aral.

@weryou Fuck you very much. I’m a taxpayer and I want to see my money going on productive things. Look at our country, mag-aanak ng lima sampu ang mga tao at umaasa sa gobyerno na pag-aaralin ang lahat ng anak nila ng libre kasama baon at uniporme. 2.7 billion pesos ang nilaan ng government noon para sa relocation ng mga squatter at sino ang nagpakapagod sa perang yun? Yung mga squatter na nagaanak ng dalawampu? Masyado nating minamahal ang mga tamad kaya lahat ng mahirap ay gustong maging pulubi na lang. At ang makakapal ang mukha, sila pa ang may ganang magalit pag walang naaabot ang gobyerno.

@BatangTOFI ikaw ang tanga at bobo. Mura na ang 1000-1500 per unit na tuition fee sa panahon ngayon. Subsidized lang ng gobyerno kaya hindi yan pumapalo ng 5k-6k. Himala kung makakapagpatakbo at magpasweldo ka sa school ng 1k mo na walang back-up budget. At wala kang pakialam kung magfeeling nagpapa-aral ako ng mga taga UP dahil kung hindi nagpaparami na parang baboy ang mga Pilipino, hindi dadami ang estudyante na mag-aaral sa mga State U tapos aalis na lang ng bansa na hindi binabalik sa Pinas ang nakuha nila sa mga taxpayers o di kaya ay magiging unemployed dahil di naman talaga nila gusto ang course na kinuha nila.

@Justin I agree with you that taxes shouldn’t go to politician’s pocket, wala akong opposition diyan pero ang bigyan pa ng campus free internet ang mga student na alam naman nating lahat na distracted na with facebook and youtube? Come on, tanungin mo ang lahat ng estudyante ngayon sa bawat school, halos lahat nyan aamining nagfafacebook at youtube sa free time nila. School is school, pag aral aral lang. Kung talagang research lang gagawin, palakihin ng UP ang library nila at doon lang ilagay ang internet access para makikita kung sino ang nag-aaral. Give them free internet everywhere in the campus and saying na gagamitin nila for studies ay isang malaking kalokohan. Naging estudyante din ako kaya ipokrito ang magsasabing puro aral lang ang paggagamitan nila ng internet.

windows · 12 years ago

Excuse me pero walang uniform ang UP. Just saying

archie · 12 years ago

@windows At anong kinalaman ng uniform sa topic?

Ian · 12 years ago

Hmmm walang masama kung magkakaroon ng Free WiFi sa UP campuses. Sa Diliman where I graduated not long ago, meron naman nang WiFI ang mga dorms at mga college buildings, especially sa Engg. Binibigyan lang ng Comp Center ang students ng proxy settings at merong blocked sites talaga. Useful naman talaga ang Free WiFi. Dati I used to watch online lectures from universities abroad thru Youtube. Our prof distributed class materials thru Facebook. So hindi porket panay youtube at facebook hindi na academic ang ginagawa ng students. Nasa students din yan, kung malululong sa pag-i-internet ang student, talagang babagsak siya. Pero hindi naman yata ganun ang sitwasyun sa UP.

Hindi din rason ang mga estudyante ng hindi gumagradweyt sa tamang panahon para hindi isulong itong free wifi. Sa libo-libong mga nagsisitapos sa UP bawat taon, iilan lamang ang hindi gumagradweyt sa tamang panahon. Gaya din yan ng sa ibang State U. Hindi din naman talaga kasi madali ang makatapos ng isang kurso, lalo na at sa UP yan.

weryou@ · 12 years ago

Una, yung argument mo malayo sa topic. You want to see your taxes go the right way? Go to Sandigan Bayan, not rant on Yugatech. This is great for current peyups students. And may I remind you that this MOA is for educational purposes, not for a waste of time. I’m sure the upper echelon of UP have good things in mind, minds that, if I may be so bold as to claim, much more capable and aware than yours (and mine, so to speak).

Pansin ko lang sa mga post mo ang tindi ng galit sa mga kapwa natin na kapos palad. May bad experience ka ba? Apparently it’s an issue for you na…

“At sa mga State U students na magsasabing gusto nyo lang din maranasan ang nararanasan ng mga private students na naka-plan ang mobile phones, manigas kayo. Sisihin nyo ang magulang nyo kung bakit lima o anim kayong magkakapatid na nag-aagawan sa isang hotdog tuwing umaga. Kung gusto nyo ng internet access, mag-aral muna kayo at pag may trabaho na saka kayo magpakasaya. Walang libre sa mundo lahat pinagpapaguran.”

Although “there is no free lunch” is as common as bread among economists, may punto ka. It’s your wording that matters and the effort to rant and say such words. Its seems that you have this need to pour out anger on “them”, even if they have done nothing personal to you. Psychological projection? Anger due to an unresolved issue in the past? ikaw lang nakakaalam niyan. I’ll leave it at that.

P.S. @Daniel Morial: sorry for an off topic comment. It seems that someone here needs some time to walk it off.

archie · 12 years ago

Great! More distraction for students with facebook, twitter and instagram during breaktime. And who’s paying for their tuition and expenses? You guessed it, the taxpayers. Thank you Smart and UP administration for continuously fucking up people’s tax money.

And whitelist my ass, so many ways to get connected on blocked sites.

mike · 12 years ago

Facebook and those websites are not only used for leisure you know. A lot of students (not just UP alone) use them for disseminating information and doing collaborative work. There’s more harm done in blocking them than allowing them. Think about the pros and cons for once.

P.S. Kahit nag-fafacebook ang UP students, kaya pa rin nila yan ipagsabay sa studies nila. Apparently you don’t know the mental capacities of those studying there.

talagaha · 12 years ago

free for the students
but no mention if the school will pay for the service

if its free as in free beer, then you have nothing to worry about archie

alot of gov’t agencies including LGU’s make their fb pages, just to justify using fb inside the office, i don’t know but its kinda circumventing some prohibitions.

fb started in the campus, if you know the history behind it.

weryou@ · 12 years ago

much angst. so narrow.

BatangTOFI · 12 years ago

fucking up taxpayers money!? TANGA! Alam mo ba kung magkano ang ina-allot na budget ni Pnoy sa UP??? Halos wala! Alam mo ba kung magkano na ang tuition per unit ng mga UP students? 1000 pesos per UNIT! yung iba pa 1500 pesos per UNIT! kaya wag kayong mag-feeling nagpapa-aral kayo ng mga taga UP!