Of Roads Less Traveled

On Roads Less Traveled

As so often the case here at VeryGood.Coffee, we run into interesting tid-bits of life and society as a whole that strikes us as an interesting subject to write about.

In this writing, we’re going to pay homage to an enterprising group of people that set out to help their fellow countrymen/women with a simple, but very effective idea that would launch a thriving industry. As always, it was also noticed by the government and of course, the government attempted to capitalize on the capitalist. In this case, it didn’t work. Even the governments attempts to compete with the capitalist didn’t work.

In an inflation-stricken country obsessed with social media, the people of Philippines seek the lowest cost of internet access that can be found.

To browse Facebook or dancing to the latest TikTok trends, Filipinos have turned to the piso-WiFi, a service reminiscent of internet cafes and the piso-net.

Piso-Net Terminal
Piso-Net Terminal

Pisonet was invented around 2010. Since then, internet access has not improved much, with over 60% of poor neighborhoods in Manila lacking basic internet access.

As well, a lot of property owners have complained about the noise of having a dozen machines and a dozen or more kids living their best days in front of a computer, playing video games and the likes.

The introduction of Piso-WiFi Box was a major turning point for the enterprising folks that contrived the Piso-Net.

Instead of having a dozen computers lined-up around your house, shop, shed, etc, you can now have a Piso-Wifi Box mounted to the wall that will effectively do the same thing, with one major exception.

Piso-WiFi Box
Piso-WiFi Box

The Piso-WiFi Box allows the user the freedom to roam around while still using the internet. It’s also been a major bonus for the college kids that have to have internet but are not able to afford the cost associated with having a dedicated internet connection installed in their home, much less the two year contract that comes with having the service installed.

In turn, this has created an industry of software developers and box builders. Think of a computer builder, only instead of building computers, they are building custom made Piso-WiFi Boxes.

All-in-all, it has been a huge success for these enterprising folks.