US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, sitting in front of her laptop webcam in a hotel, held a video conference with a class of high school students. Behind Kenney, a big-screen TV showed the faces of the children who were gathered in a school some three kilometers away.

It was a historic moment. So what should they talk about?

“Can you tell me your favorite PBA (Philippine Basketball Association) team?” Kenney asked the students of the Don Pablo A. Lorenzo Memorial National High School.

One girl said, “Ginebra.”

“Is anyone a San Miguel fan?” asked Kenney, who was in a function room of the Zamboanga Orchid Garden Hotel.

There were some whispers in the background and finally, the same girl replied: “No.”

It was later learned that Kenney’s favorite team was Purefoods.

Good morning, America

Earlier, the kids greeted the US envoy “Buenos dias (Good morning),” to which Kenney replied, “Gracias (Thank you).”

Puzzled young faces filled the big-screen TV.

“I am sorry… we cannot hear you,” said one girl, who then paused, waiting for an answer.

A technician tended to the momentary glitch and the video conference resumed.

And in that brief exchange—the future had arrived in the south.

Fun and amazing

For Kenney, the video conference with the students—which took all of five minutes—was “fun” and “pretty amazing.”

“It’s wonderful to see our young people become part of modern technology,” she said. “You know, I can’t get used to how… people talk to other people on the Internet and see their faces at the same time.”

She also said that the project was an “extraordinary step forward,” especially for the students of Zamboanga. “This is really opening the door… not only for the people of this city but also for many people in the Philippines,” Kenney said. “It’s really exciting for me and, I hope, for all of you to be part of this.”

The envoy was referring to Globe Telecom’s cutting-edge 4G wireless broadband technology called WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) that provided students instant access to the Internet.

WiMax vs Wi-Fi

WiMax is a wireless digital communications system that has a wider range of access than Wi-Fi.

WiMax provides broadband wireless access of up to 50 kilometers for fixed stations, and 5 km to 15 km for mobile stations. In contrast, Wi-Fi is usually limited to only 100 meters.

Both Wi-Fi and WiMax can be used for wireless networking, but the latter is designed to allow higher data rates over longer distances. For example, a person using WiMax can stream videos and download a movie file at the same time.

Globe’s WiMax system is the biggest 2.5 GHz broadband network in Southeast Asia, according to the telecommunication company’s fact sheet.

According to Hoyle Disuanco, head of Globe’s consumer sales for Visayas and Mindanao, the telco has already established WiMax connections in 15 communities in Zamboanga.

Each site covers about 2 km to 5 km, giving consumers broadband connection that is priced 20 percent lower than the packages offered by other Internet service providers.

Internet in schools

Globe’s service is part of its Internet-in-Schools-Program (ISP). Under the program, Globe will “provide free Internet for one year to serviceable public schools all over the country.”

It is the biggest education initiative to be undertaken by the telco.

In a paper, Globe has underscored the importance of preparing “young Filipinos to be globally competitive by introducing them to the Internet,” honing their computer literacy skills while still in high school, and “giving them access to information just like other students in other parts of the world.”

In Zamboanga, Internet penetration is still very low, according to Disuanco of Globe, while computer costs remain high.

With WiMax offering district-wide Internet connection, students and teachers would learn new things. This experience might even change the way they view things, Disuanco said.

WiMax-connected

Five other public schools in Zamboanga—J-Jireh School, Southcom National High School, Sinunuc Elementary School, Zamboanga City High School main campus and the Sinunuc National High School—will also receive free WiMax connection for a year, making them the first WiMax-connected schools in the Philippines.

Those schools are serviced by the Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM), a unit of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Through GEM’s Computer Literacy and Internet Connection (Clic) Program, the schools will be provided with computer units and fast Internet connection.

It was GEM that linked up Globe with the local community and concerned government agencies.

Jumpstart economy

Aside from the schools, Kenney said there would also be improvements in the business and medical sectors, as well as in social services.

“This is one of the projects that we hope will jumpstart economic growth in Zamboanga,” she said, adding that the city was chosen to be the beneficiary for the program because of its potential for growth.

The entry of Globe WiMax in Zamboanga, according to GEM, would also “spur the development of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.”

Ticket to cyber highway

For Jojie Ilagan-Bian, president of the Philippine Call Center Alliance, WiMax is Zamboanga’s ticket to the cyber highway.

“By investing heavily in expanding its information and communications services, Globe has not only expressed its confidence in the future of this city and this region, but has helped to create conditions under which other companies will be attracted to the city,” Bian said.

Globe’s Disuanco said the telco plans to open four more WiMax sites in the region.

“It is Globe’s aim that every home in Zamboanga be connected to the Internet,” he said.