KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Patrons at the popular heritage site and hangout Devon House are now able to access free Wi-Fi hotspot when they use the venue.

This has been made possible through the Universal Service Fund (USF), an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, which carried out the installation at the first in a series of public sites which will be provided with broadband Internet accessibility.

Portfolio minister, Dr Andrew Wheatley, addressing the commissioning ceremony for the service at Devon House on October 28, commended the USF for its work to fulfil its mandate of providing Internet access to all Jamaicans.

He said it is particularly significant that Devon House was outfitted, due to its value to the nation’s history.

Dr Wheatley said he anticipates that the USF will continue to take Jamaica closer to the government’s goal of a knowledge-based fully digital society.

“We envision Jamaica as the technological hub of the Caribbean and, therefore, our interactions with the technology must extend beyond email, Facebook and Snapchat. For us to compete, there has to be a greater production of technology to move away from being mere consumers of technology to being developers,” he said.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of USF Everold Simms, in his remarks, said he is grateful for the partnership with Devon House.

He noted that USF will, in the next two months, be installing WiFi hotspots at three additional public sites.

Installation and connection at Devon House, done through collaboration with C&W Jamaica, was carried out at a cost of approximately $1.23 million.