Shoppers in public markets nationwide could soon enjoy free Wi-Fi connection to enable them to pay using their e-wallets, according to the Philippine Development Report (PDR).
This is part of the government’s plan this year and next year to help facilitate the use of digital financial services, such as the Paleng-QR PH rolled out by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).
As of October 2023, the PDR said 19 local government units (LGU) have issued ordinances on the adoption of Paleng-QR PH Plus.
“[The government intends to] provide free Wi-Fi in the public markets and public transportation terminals of the LGUs under the PQRPh program through the DICT [Department of Information and Communications Technology],” the report stated.
The Paleng-QR PH nationwide program supports the BSP’s thrust to convert half of the total volume of retail payments in the country into digital form and to onboard 70 percent of Filipinos to the formal financial system by this year under the BSP’s Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap 2020-2023.
It is one of the priority programs under the BSP’s National Strategy for Financial Inclusion (NSFI) 2022-2028, the guiding framework for all stakeholders working together to accelerate financial inclusion in the country.
Meanwhile, the PDR also said the government aims to improve access to financial services, including digital services among previously excluded sectors, such as low income Filipinos.
“[The government will] engage telecom companies to explore the inclusion of mobile banking services and e-money wallets as zero-rated applications, in coordination with NTC [National Telecommunications Commission],” the report also stated.
Other digital efforts include the National Broadband Program, which will make it possible for all Filipinos to enjoy free Wi-Fi.
The implementation of the program include connecting a total of 8,184 sites, covering 17 regions, 80 provinces and Metro Manila, and 661 cities and municipalities.
For 2024 and 2025, the project aims to provide internet connectivity to 14 provinces in Luzon, including Metro Manila, three provinces in Visayas, and three provinces in Mindanao.
It will also provide broadband internet requirements of 11 DICT points of presence via Fiber Optic C and increase the number of live sites, especially at the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).
The program this year and next year will conduct proof of concept activities with private sector in exploring other alternative technologies (i.e., LTE, Wi-Fi 6/7, LEO/MEO, OpenRAN among others) to accelerate the deployment of digital infrastructure for the program.