For an update on Davao’s wifi hotspots, please check out my article on Ang Dabawenyo Blog: WiFi buzz.
Only in a few very short years, Davao has seen a dramatic rise in the number of people armed with laptops, notebooks, even wireless-IP-capable handhelds, hanging out in, say, coffee shops. I can imagine Internet providers must be scratching their heads now — Why oh why didn’t we capitalize on this?? But on the other hand, it’s good for Davaoeños that most of the wifi hotspots here are free-of-charge. It will spur the growth of Internet-based services, which is evident, for example, in a website that I’ve been keeping tabs on: DavaoSale.com.
DavaoSale is no super high-tech web service, but it’s effective! What’s important is, they are able to deliver what they set out to deliver. Personally, I’m impressed with them because, for one thing, I’ve been able to get clients off of their bulletin-board ads. As of presstime, they have 9,832 registered users, buying and selling all sorts of things from cars to computer parts to all sorts of services.
With the rise of Internet usage in Davao, I expect there to be more success stories as this. Coupled with the lowering of computer hardware prices, the Internet-based marketplace is now a lot more accessible to a larger population. Hopefully this will soon translate to a viable and vibrant e-commerce community in Davao.
