GLOBE TELECOM, Inc. announced on Monday the deployment of school buses equipped with special antennas to provide WiFi signal to residents in at least nine areas in Manila from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from Monday to Sunday.
The areas covered by the project are Pasaje del Carmen St., Remigio St., 853 Gonzalo Gil Puyat St., 924 Bilibid Viejo St., Tomas Mapua St., Alfonso Mendoza St., Dalupan St., Oroquieta St., and Basco St. in Manila, Globe said at a virtual launch event on Monday.
The use of the WiFi service, according to Globe, will be free for the first hour for public school students and teachers who were provided 289,000 Globe SIM cards.
“Through the School Bus WiFi campaign, Globe also extends support to school bus operators whose main source of livelihood was put at stake by the pandemic,” Globe said.
Globe announced last week that it is planning to install about 800 cell sites in the last three months of the year as part of its network expansion.
The mobile network operator added it intends to put up at least 319 cell sites in Metro Manila and Rizal and 100 cell sites in Bulacan, Pampanga, and Pangasinan.
The company has also committed to put up 190 cell sites in the Visayas and 166 in Mindanao.
“Against the backdrop of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), internet access has become a lifeline more than a luxury. Internet access is needed by students to pursue online education, by workers to continue earning a living while working from home, by families to stay connected with each other,” said Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Corp. chairman and chief executive officer, and Globe chairman.
“With Globe’s School Bus WiFi in the City of Manila, we are able to help in ensuring that residents have access to affordable WiFi connectivity. We look to partner with other local governments to expand this initiative,” he added.
Ernest L. Cu, Globe president and chief executive officer, said the project is a product of Globe’s innovation that will not only provide the industry with a new opportunity, but will also “bring connectivity to students and communities in areas that need it most.” — Arjay L. Balinbin
