Baguio City—In today’s increasingly competitive and digital business world, SM Prime Holdings Inc., the country’s largest shopping-mall developer, plans to offer Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) in all its SM supermalls before the year ends.

“We now live in a world where the wireless Internet is always on and always available. At the mall, we will allow shoppers to stay connected while they shop till they drop,�? said Bien Mateo, Shopping Center Management Corp. assistant vice president for operations.

Of the 31 SM supermalls, four are already “hot spots�? or Wi-Fi enabled since last year—The Block at SM North Edsa, SM City Bacoor, SM City Pampanga and SM City Clark.

“As more and more people become tech-savvy, visitors and shoppers will expect to stay connected and updated in the mall as this service offers them the option to connect and catch up with friends [while] in the mall, view store and product information and more while indulging in an unsurpassed shopping experience,�? enthused Mateo.

He estimated that about 3 million shoppers troop to SM malls everyday, and many would welcome them to be hot spots. SM Supermalls had partnered with Internet service provider Philippine Global Communications Inc. (PhilCom) for the Wi-Fi connection for the four malls.