#8888 calls

The government heard you, and now the Department of Interior and Local Government is drafting an executive order to make calls to both new emergency numbers 911 and 8888 free. Current statistics on the 117 hotline network show that 10% of the 3,500 calls the hotline receive every day are bogus. Both Globe Telecom and PLDT, mother company of Smart Communications, earlier got the ire of netizens when each announced to charge calls to the new 911 and 8888 numbers, citing current government mandates. In subsequent statements, both Globe and PLDT are willing to comply to making calls free when the government directs to. Both the 8888 and the 911 hotlines for complaints and emergency hotlines, respectively, are set to launch tomorrow, August 1. It supports voice and video calls through supported apps, messaging apps, SMS, and basic navigation services using Starlink's low-Earth orbit satellites. VoLTE allows voice calls to run through 4G LTE networks and is considered a key step toward wider 4G and 5G adoption. · 50 Mbps works for basic browsing, HD streaming, online classes, and video calls. Read more in our articles including "DILG: We promise 911, 8888 calls to be free" and "Smart Home WiFi Postpaid expands to 100+ Smart Stores".