Residents in the communities of Lluidas Vale, St Catherine and Kellits, Clarendon now proudly boast access to fibre-fast internet with the recent launch of public Wi-Fi hotspots in their communities.  C&W Business Jamaica was a key partner on the Universal Service Fund (USF) – led initiative which will see the provision of several Wi-Fi hotspots in communities across the island.

Over 20 community Wi-Fi hotspots are expected to be commissioned in the first phase of the project.  Those that have already been launched are Seaforth (St Thomas), Lionel Town (Clarendon), Jacques Road (Kingston), Brooke Avenue (St Andrew), De La Vega City (St Catherine), Balaclava (St Elizabeth) as well as Grange Hill and Cooke Street in Westmoreland.

In his comments, Daniel Dawes, CEO of the USF shared that the public body had invested millions in providing the facilities and charged the residents with the responsibility of using the resource for the development of the communities as well as themselves.

“It is very important that underserved and unserved communities are provided with the vital commodity of high-quality broadband access.  This is the mandate of the USF’s Community Wi-Fi Hotspot Project – to ensure that all Jamaicans can access the Internet.  I am confident that I can say that it is as important as water, electricity and good roads.  This Wi-Fi access is here to benefit everyone in these communities, especially our students whose parents have a lot of demands on their financial resources,” said Dawes.

He further stated, “The facilities have been established in safe zones.  They are free of cost to every one of you.  They are open in keeping with the existing curfews and protocols.  Use it for education.  Use it for research.  Use it for business. I thank our partner, Flow [and C&W Business], and look forward to taking our communities to greater heights.”

Speaking to Flow’s investment in both Clarendon and St Catherine, Kayon Mitchell, Flow’s Director of Communications & Stakeholder Engagement and Flow Foundation’s Executive Director, shared that the company is at the forefront of expanding access into communities across Jamaica having connected over 500 communities to its fibre fast network since January 2020.

“We are connecting thousands of Jamaicans in hundreds of communities, through Jamaica’s largest fibre network, to the digital world.  We are also leveraging our technological backbone and engaging in collaborations such as this to bring connectivity, through wi-fi hotspots, to even more Jamaicans.  In addition to this hotspot, C&W Business is partnering with the USF for another 25 across the country,” she stated. 

Mitchell also echoed the challenge for persons to use the resources responsibly.  “This is our new normal.  At our Flow Foundation, we are focused on educating and empowering Jamaicans through our free, certified online training programmes.  While your children are here doing their school work, you can learn data literacy, upskill yourselves as well as pursue job opportunities.  We are committed to empowering our fellow Jamaicans to fully participate in this global digital economy.

So, as you enjoy this wi-fi hotspot, be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to “Tech Charge”.  Use this access to pursue training, goals and employment that will enable your progress and lead to an even better life,” she charged.