En route to the cyber national highways

En route to the cyber national highways

story by OWEN JAEN

Photo Courtesy of REVO ADAN

The cyber-highway just got real.

Thanks to the innovation in local transportation, free wireless fidelity (wifi) networks can now be accessed while inside a public bus!

That’s definitely good news for people who can’t get rid of their mobile devices (including myself).

Checking mails, updating Facebook statuses, tweeting on Twitter and posting on your Instagram is even more convenient.

Finally, we now have alternative entertainment aside from the piped-in music and movies.

This development in the use of wireless technology is a welcome change for commuters.

With the recent bad road conditions due to subsequent road maintenance and constructions popping up everywhere, it’s great to have a temporary distraction from the clogging traffic.

Here in Mindanao, this is a great way to access the internet and become productive while spending idle hours on the road.

Photo Courtesy of REVO ADAN

This added service has been available in other countries for quite some time now and since its introduction recently, it is getting good reviews from commuters locally.

I have personally tried the system and it works fast only on certain areas since it depends on the availability of the mobile signal of the service provider.

From Cagayan de Oro to Butuan for example, there are still a few areas that are considered dead spots and wifi signal becomes unavailable.

Nevertheless, the experience is still quite fascinating and useful as well. For the workaholics, emails can be made, sent and received while hitting the road.

Other possible functions for this wireless convenience for mobile devices are location services to help navigate and acquaint your selves with your current geographical position and familiar the nearest towns and provinces.

It can also become an emergency communication system to inform rescue units of current location as well as warn authorities of possible or ongoing danger while onboard.

On the fun side, taking snapshots of sceneries one passes by and instantly posting it on the internet is a clever way to inform friends of your journey.

The downside? It is undeniably straining to the eyes and may cause motion sickness, so use wifi on the bus moderately.

I have enjoyed the experience and had a dizzying spell the first time so on my second trip, I knew better.

Connecting with friends, business partners and loved ones just got better and the road towards a more interconnected global superhighway is just waiting round the bend.