In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PLDT and Smart have continued to drive solutions that aim to streamline operations and enable customers with the means to stay connected—whether it be for personal or professional use. Among solutions with the most aggressive deployment and take-up rate is the group’s fast and free Smart WiFi service.

As the only Filipino company that is a member of the Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), PLDT-Smart underscores its commitment to enable a greater majority with access to public Wi-Fi for this year’s celebration of #WorldWiFiDay on June 20. The initiatives to power COVID-19 facilities and key offices also fall in line with the WBA’s call for members to ensure the deployment of public Wi-Fi for the underserved and unconnected.

“Since its launch, our Smart WiFi service has always been a tool that was designed to connect, inform, and educate users. We are grateful to both the customers that have trusted us with deploying the service to their sites, as well as the WBA who has given even more purpose to our mission,” said SVP & Head of PLDT and Smart Enterprise Business Groups and ePLDT President & CEO Jovy Hernandez.

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“Wi-Fi is arguably the most ground-breaking wireless technology of our time. From the first public Wi-Fi hotspots in the early 2000s which enabled radically increased productivity on the move, through to the role Wi-Fi has in today’s pandemic environment. #WorldWiFiDay was created with the aim of allowing participants of both the public and private sectors to recognize the role of Wi-Fi in bridging a digital divide. Such thrust could not be any more apt than it is today,” said Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the WBA.

Major COVID-19 facilities

Among hospitals that service is available in are Asian Hospital, Philippine Orthopedic Hospital, De Los Santos Medical Center, Marikina Valley Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Dr. Jesus M. Delgado Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Chinese General Hospital, Pasay General Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital, Bacoor Doctors Medical Center, Lipa Medix Hospital, Emilio Aguinaldo Medical Center, Cavite Medical Center, Ospital ng Cabuyao, Ospital ng Imus, Municipal Health Office of Carmona, St. Frances Cabrini Medical Center, San Antonio Medical Center of Lipa, Lipa City District Hospital, Central Luzon Doctor’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital of Malolos, Bulacan Medical Center, Cebu Doctors University, Doctors Hospital Bacolod, Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center, City Government of Mandaue – City Hospital, Adventist Hospital, Ramiro Community Hospital, City Government of Tacloban – City Hospital, Capiz Emmanuel Hospital, Iloilo Mission Hospital, The Health Centrum Hospital, Davao Doctors Hospital, West Metro Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, St. Elizabeth Hospital, The Medical Plaza 1, The Medical Plaza 2, Sta. Ana Medical Building, Mayor Hilarion Ramiro Medical Center, and the Adventist Medical Center.

The service has also been deployed across major COVID-19 facilities such as the DPWH’s mega quarantine site in Bulacan, The Rizal Stadium, Philippine International Convention Center, World Trade Center, the facilities in Clark City in Tarlac, and the Philippine Army Gymnasium in Taguig, as well as in La Salle Greenhills in Mandaluyong City and Far Eastern University in Alabang, Muntinlupa, which also house COVID-19 frontliners from nearby hospitals.

Smart WiFi connectivity is also available in provincial capitols, as well as city and municipal halls across the country, which are being used as a base of operations for local government logistics, transportation, and relief, as well as in hospitals, supermarkets, and convenience stores.