DICT puts free Wi-Fi performance under public watch

The government is putting the performance of its nationwide free internet network under public scrutiny as it allows users to track whether state-funded Wi-Fi sites are operational and meeting service commitments.

In a statement on Monday, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it has opened its Free Wi-Fi Monitoring System to the public through its official website.

The Network Monitoring System (NMS) V2 provides real-time information on public Wi-Fi sites nationwide, including their availability, connectivity status, uptime, incident reports, and compliance with service-level agreements (SLAs).

“The NMS V2 also functions as an operations hub for monitoring network performance, managing incidents, conducting audits, and generating reports,” the DICT said.

Users can check the status of monitored sites by region, province, and municipality, providing greater visibility into the performance of access points installed in schools, communities, and other public areas.

The move could also improve oversight of service disruptions by giving the public access to information previously used internally by the DICT to monitor the Free Wi-Fi for All Program.

The agency said it has been using the platform internally since last year to strengthen oversight of the country’s growing Free Wi-Fi network.

Its public rollout is intended to improve transparency and accountability while allowing citizens to participate in monitoring the quality and reliability of government-provided connectivity.

The DICT said users may submit feedback, reports, and service escalations through the 1326 Citizen Complaint Center hotline, 1326@dict.gov.ph, or the eReport feature of the eGovPH Super App.

The monitoring dashboard is accessible through the “Services” section of the DICT website.