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Elijah Felice Rosales - The Philippine Star
August 5, 2025 | 12:00am
Information Secretary Henry Aguda told reporters that free WiFi sites managed by the DICT are expected to reach between 60,000 and 70,000 by 2026, ahead of target.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will be operating over 60,000 free WiFi sites by next year as it expands coverage to barangay halls and health centers.
Information Secretary Henry Aguda told reporters that free WiFi sites managed by the DICT are expected to reach between 60,000 and 70,000 by 2026, ahead of target.
As of May, the DICT handles 18,849 sites in 9,769 locations across the archipelago, connecting as many as 11.2 million devices in hard-to-reach areas.
The goal is to increase the number of free WiFi sites to 21,000 this year; 25,000 in 2026; 37,500 in 2027 and 50,000 in 2028. However, Aguda said the DICT can exceed its targets by early next year, when the agency starts setting up sites in barangay halls and health centers.
By 2026, the agency will work on providing connectivity to the more than 12,000 health centers nationwide. This is to ensure that medical facilities have access to the internet, which is needed to deliver critical tasks, promote telemedicine use, store health records, among others.
Likewise, the DICT was tasked by President Marcos in his State of the Nation Address to set up free WiFi sites this year in nearly 12,000 public schools without connectivity.
Aguda said the DICT would be employing a two-pronged approach in improving the quality and reach of its free WiFi program.
First, the agency will maximize pricing arrangements negotiated with satellite operator Starlink, which has offered enterprise-grade service to the government at retail price.
Last, the DICT plans to complete the next phases of the National Fiber Backbone ahead of time. In July, the agency launched the second and third legs of the project, covering 1,800 kilometers of fiber lines across Cagayan Valley, Southern Tagalog, Bicol Region, Visayas and Mindanao.
The second and third phases build on the completion of the first segment, which travels for 1,200 kilometers between Laoag, Ilocos Norte and Quezon City. Once the project is finished, the DICT can use this to connect more households to the internet.
Listed in the budget as Free Public Internet Access Program, the free WiFi project will require at least P3 billion to be sustained and expanded next year, according to Aguda.
