SMART Wifi has teamed up with tech giant Google to deliver free, high speed internet services in public locations around the Philippines, according to parent company PLDT, Inc.
In a statement on Monday, the telecommunications giant said the Smart Wifi service will be expanded by adding more hubs in more locations utilizing its existing nationwide infrastructure.
“We are happy to partner with Smart Wifi in giving more Filipinos access to new opportunities and learning tools through the internet — empowering them in a meaningful way,” Google Philippines Country Manager Kenneth Lingan said in the statement.
PLDT said it hopes the partnership with Google will help speed up the digital transformation of the country.
“Technology is a great equalizer of opportunities and as the country’s premier ICT (information and communications technology) and digital services provider, we are constantly looking for ways to innovate and uplift the everyday experiences of our customers,” PLDT-Smart Chief Revenue Officer and ePLDT President and CEO Ernesto R. Alberto was quoted as saying.
Jovy I. Hernandez, Senior Vice-President and Head of PLDT-Smart Enterprise Business Groups added, “It is an honor for us to join hands with an esteemed technology leader who shares in our vision of empowering our citizens with connectivity… [T]his milestone signifies our unwavering commitment to prompt the next chapter of digital transformation for the country.”
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez
