Vaz outline plans to connect every household to Internet by 2025
KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is aiming to have every household connected to the Internet by 2025 through the National Broadband Initiative.
Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz told the House of Representatives this afternoon that the Government will make access to the Internet a public good.
The objectives of the initiative are to:
1. Achieve universal access;
2. Boost adoption and usage;
3. Improve quality and coverage of key services such as health and education and more broadly public services;
4. Guarantee affordability;
5. Promote entrepreneurship and local content creation;
6. Create new business models;
7. Boost ICT exports; and
8. Increase competitiveness.
“More than 1500 kilometres of fibre optic cable will be laid to provide access to the last mile; more than 1,000 public institutions connected to guarantee access to the last mile; universal access to the Internet by every household, every community, every Jamaican; and access to public services everywhere, anytime,” Vaz outlined.
He said funding options are being explored for the implementation of the National Broadband Network, which is projected to cost US$237 million.
A core technical taskforce has also been formed to provide the technical input and oversight required to drive the implementation of the strategy, the minister informed.
