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Don't take your WiFi notebook to the Philippines ...

You may be forgiven for thinking that it's now legal to use WiFi in the Philippines. After all, there have been several announcements saying that the obsolete law banning it, has been revoked. But's not quite that simple! - and it might cost you money.

Outcry followed the original shock-horror discovery that Philippine WiFi was illegal. It was blogged by Cory Doctorow back on July 8th, under the headline "WiFi to be banned in the Philippines?" when he revealed that the Philippines spectrum policy didn't permit WiFi.

Doctorow quoted the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) - which said that WiFi services, and even Bluetooth use, was still "illegal" in certain regions in the Philippines, including Metro Manila.

"I think (commercial WiFi) services have to stop because it is against the law," said Edgardo Cabarios, director of the common carrier department.

The same blog reported today that WiFi was "un-banned" in the Philippines: "The Philippines National Telecommunications Commission has just removed a ban on the use of 2400MHz frequencies" - and pointed to "a final draft of a memorandum circular posted on its website," which set out new rules governing the provision of wireless LAN services.

But the fine print pays reading, according to another commentator. "It sounds like there are still quite a few restrictions on use - including the fact that you need to pay a registration fee (about $10) to set up any indoor WiFi access point. Outdoor access points will require a licence."

In fact, if anybody in authority wanted to be unpleasant, this regulation could be even more restrictive.

Any WiFi-equipped PC normally broadcasts its network identity (SSID) whenever it is switched on. This is intended for talking directly to other wireless-equipped PCs on a "peer to peer" basis - but it's clear that under the terms of this regulation, this makes the computer an access point, requiring a registration fee.

You could sit at your hotel desk working, and be in breach of the regulation.

Finally, the new regulation seems to say absolutely nothing about using Bluetooth, which uses the same frequency, and which therefore is probably covered by the same requirement to be licensed. Almost certainly, it won't be ... unless you offend someone important in some other way.