PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications is strengthening its WiFi connectivity in tourist spots and transport hubs to serve the needs of thousands of tourists who visit the country every year.
Smart Wifi has been introduced in amusement parks such as Gloria de Dapitan’s Fantasyland, the biggest amusement park in Dapitan City; Aurora Park in Laoag, the favorite destination for tourists doing a heritage tour in Ilocandia.
It was also launched at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and 17 regional airports, under a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Transportation that provides for the installation of high-speed Wifi service in key transport hubs all over the country
According to Eric Alberto, PLDT Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, tourist traveling to these attractions can now share their travel stories like never before using the super-speed Smart Wifi that they have installed in these destinations across the country.
“The Smart Wifi rollout goes hand-in-hand with the nationwide LTE network upgrades we are also putting in place. With the simultaneous expansion of our mobile data and WiFi networks, we look forward to serving our subscribers better with the best wireless data experience like never before,” Alberto added.
Passengers and tourists in the said areas can now access Smart’s Wifi All You Want service, which lets users surf, stream and download content without having to worry about volume restriction for initial free or subscribed minutes. Smart Wifi load cards can be purchased to extend user sessions for Php 20 for 2 hours, valid for 2 days; and Php 50 for 10 hours, valid for 5 days.
Smart Wifi, with a back haul capacity of up to one gigabit per second, can support up to 3,000 connected users with robust wifi connectivity.
Apart from the four passenger terminals of NAIA, super-speed Wifi services are also available in Davao City’s Francisco Bangoy International Airport, Laguindingan Airport in Misamis Oriental, Bacolod-Silay International Airport, Iloilo International Airport, Roxas Airport, Zamboanga Airport, Clark International Airport, Dumaguete-Sibulan Airport, Laoag International Airport, General Santos International Airport, Kalibo International Airport, Boracay Airport in Caticlan, Puerto Princesa Airport in Palawan, Tagbilaran Airport in Bohol, Dipolog Airport, and Legazpi Airport.
It has also been installed in the Batangas International Port in Batangas City, Calapan City Port in Mindoro, Puerto Princesa Seaport, Dumaguete Seaport and Dapitan Seaport.
Moreover, Smart Wifi is also ready to be rolled out in the upcoming weeks at the Manila Ocean Park, a world-class marine theme park in the National Capital Region, whose oceanarium showcases some 14,000 marine creatures, and the Dahilayan Adventure Park in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, dubbed as Mindanao’s favorite extreme playground which challenges tourists to brave Asia’s longest dual zipline.
Network improvements covering Metro Manila’s MRT and LRT lines are also currently underway. Apart from these tourist spots and transport hubs, Smart Wifi is also being deployed in high-traffic areas such as hospitals, schools, city halls and malls, among others. (ABP and Jazzelle Cayaban/PNA)