Aeonic Seiche Philippines Inc., a technology company dominated by investors from Hong Kong, said in recent press conference that it has launched what it said is a "proof-ofconcept" to make Edsa to first Wifi-enabled highway in the world.

Licoln Chen, chief executive officer of Aeonic Seiche, said the initiative is now on its trial stage.

Commuters with Wifi-enabled devices such as laptops, cellular phones, and PDA can actually connect for free from Ortigas, Pasig City to Kamias in Quezon City.

The project has been dubbed "SeicheTunnel" because Edsa, once formal commercial operations is started on April 14, will be blanketed in a tunnel-like Wifi signal.

Chen said the initiative is a breakthrough and unprecedented in the world as it allows to Wifi user to transfer from one hotspot to another continuously – the technology once exclusively used in cellular phones.

But because of the "mesh" technology that allows a hotspot to "hand over" a Wifi user to another hotspot with being disconnected, nomadic connectivity is achieved.

No other technology that is commercially available can be found in other parts of the world, the ponytailed Chen said.

Apart from traffic, Chen said Edsa is the prefect testing ground for the SeicheTunnel because most Filipinos have drivers or chauffeurs in their cars, making it possible for them to surf the Internet while on the road.

Although officials admitted that they are still awaiting regulatory approval, installation of vital equipment is almost complete and that customers can have a guaranteed speed of 256 kbps.

Company executives, however, warned that the Wifi service "is not everything." "This will not replace the cell phones because it’s not voice-grade. But if it will be used for data, it’s as good as DSL," Chen said.

But Chen said they already have a technology roadmap that can implemented in the future that will allow the infrastructure to "carry audio and video-quality contents."

Officials said access can be purchased online using a credit card: Seiche Wifi Light 5 plan for R200 (five hours of usage and expires within 30 days from first use); Seiche Moderate 10 for R350 (10 hours of usage, good for 60 days); and Seiche WiFi Unlimited for R850 (unlimited usage for one month).

Hourly access plans are also available and may be purchased at authorized dealers. For starters, the Seiche Compliant Wifi Access Kit worth R1,500, with a USB adapter for signal transmission from the client device to the Seiche Tunnel wireless network. These are first time promotional rates, the company said.

"The SeicheTunnel network at Edsa is only the beginning. We have already lined up future SeicheTunnel projects and in time, the whole of Metro Manila will be a SeicheTunnel zone, a truly mobile Wifi Digital City as we envision it," Richard Yu, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.