For Psychology major and student council
leader Edwin Basa, access to reliable connectivity is transforming the way he
and his schoolmates do school work.
“Most of our homework these days involve a
lot of researching on the internet, so it’s really important for you to have
access to the internet wherever you are,” he said, adding that he also uses
chat apps to communicate with fellow student council officers or group mates at
Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila.
His coursemates Jenny Japsay and Erwin
Masangkay, freshmen at PLM, have also found on-campus access to the internet
via Wi-Fi particularly helpful.
“Many of our teachers already gather
submissions online,” shared Masangkay.
“Some also hold online quizzes, or send out
reviewers via e-mail,” Japsay added. “With internet on campus, we get to
participate in online discussions, download materials or upload our files
easily,” she said.
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| Edwin Basa |
For Basa, the internet is also vital in
facilitating collaboration. “Especially these days, when classes get suspended
because of bad weather, you really have to be resourceful in order to get your
homework submitted,” Basa said. “We can just do our meetings online, share materials
and images via Messenger or email. Like this, we are able to meet our
deadlines.”
These PLM university students are among the
growing number of tertiary students benefiting from the Google Station service
already available in over 100 tertiary schools nationwide.
Smart has rolled out Google Station at
universities and colleges in Metro Manila, Zambales, Laguna, Bulacan, Cavite,
Batangas, Cebu, and Negros Occidental including PLM, Davao Doctors College, as
well as campuses of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, City
University of Pasay, and Benedicto College in Cebu.
These venues are part of the growing list
of over 400 Google Station sites that Smart and Google Philippines announced in
July 2019. Smart is set to launch the service in more universities nationwide
in the coming months.
“Our goal in expanding this service to
cover universities is to empower Filipino tertiary students, who can use our
carrier-grade, world-class connectivity to work on their academic requirements,
participate in their online classes, and overall, enhance the quality of life
in their respective campuses,” said Juan Victor Hernandez, senior vice
president and head of Enterprise for PLDT and Smart.
“The Internet is a vital tool for today’s
college students, and by making it more accessible across the nation, we are
pitching in to improve the overall state of education in the country,” he
added.
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| Jenny Japsay and Erwin Masangkay |
Smart is also bringing Google Station to
other heavy foot-traffic areas such as airports and other transportation hubs
like bus stations and seaports, government offices, hospitals, and malls.
This nationwide rollout of Google Station
complements Smart’s ongoing network expansion and modernization program across
the Philippines.
For 2019, PLDT capex is expected to reach
P78.4 billion, including allocations for the expansion of PLDT’s fiber
broadband service, which also supports Smart’s mobile network by providing
high-capacity links for cellular base stations.
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