Dear Editor,

The novel coronavirus pandemic has brought to the fore a plethora of issues involving inequality relating to access to Internet services in some communities. This has hindered many boys and girls, as well as men and women, who have been mandated to stay at home, work from home, or learn from home.

However, I want to bring to your attention that access to Internet service is not the only challenge many rural Jamaicans face. I speak particularly about communities within the Trinityville Division in St Thomas like Somerset, Spring Piece, and Mount Lebanus, that are struggling to pick up basic phone signals. I believe this needs to change.

These communities are heavily populated and have several cellphone subscribers; unfortunately, they are unable to use their phones to make calls, use short message service (SMS), or access mobile data due to extremely poor phone signal strength.

I am therefore calling for one of the major telecommunications companies, either Flow or Digicel, to give some consideration to erecting a cell tower nearby to boost reception and mobile connection.

As we continue the conversation around moving more towards technology, we cannot create an apartheid-based system between the urban and the rural areas. First, we have to ensure that all citizens have equal access to things many of us take for granted, such as picking up basic phone signal.

Kimberley Thompson

kimberleythompson81@yahoo.com