250 users, 30 MBps speed | USF commissions free Wi-Fi in Old Harbour communities

Residents of Bamboo Ridge in Bartons, northern Old Harbour; the Old Harbour town centre and East Bay Avenue, Old Harbour Bay are now able to access Wi-Fi hotspots in their communities under the Universal Service Fund (USF) Connect Jamaica programme, which seeks to establish free wireless internet access in public spaces across the country.

Each station is able to accommodate up to 250 users simultaneously with the wireless infrastructure providing a capacity download and upload speeds of 30 megabytes per second from either end.

In Old Harbour town, which serves tens of thousands of residents on a daily basis, the station carries five access points, says Jaime Robinson, project manager, Universal Service Fund (USF).

Robinson also told Old Harbour News that each access point covers approximately 250 square feet in diameter, however, discussions are taking place already for further scoping and expansion to provide additional access points throughout the town, regarded as the fastest growing on the island.

“When the USF conceptualized our community Wi-Fi project we envision an increase in computer literacy for the residents in and around the communities, improve the school’s performance for students and also opportunity for the under-educated and the under-employed to gain valuable skills.

“Outfitting the community Wi-Fi here at Old Harbour square comes as an investment to the fund at a cost we think is well deserved when you look at the long-term benefits that can be derived from this initiative if it is used for its intended purposes,” stated Melissa Taylor, director, public procurement at the USF, while noting that the state agency had previously made its mark in the constituency of St Catherine South Western, having created community access points at the Church Pen community centre and the Vision Apostolic House of Prayer Computer Centre.

Taylor was speaking at the commissioning of the USF’s Community Wi-Fi Launch inside the small but historic town park of Old Harbour, as the state agency continues to move along with its plan to complete the installation of over 189 community Wi-Fi hotspots across the island. 

Taylor further noted that under its broadband initiative, the USF has been absorbing the cost of internet service for the Old Harbour High School, the Old Harbour Post Office, the Old Harbour Police Station, the Old Harbour Branch Library, the St Catherine Parish Library, the St Catherine Health Centre, the Spanish Town Hospital and the Jamaica Police Academy.

In short order residents of Spanish Town and Portmore will be able to access free Wi-Fi, she said, while Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the USF, Daniel Dawes has assured Member of Parliament Everald Warmington that the community of Gutters has been added to the list to receive internet hotspot in that area.

“Today I am honoured and happy to be participating in this commissioning of the Wi-Fi service here,” added Warmington, MP for more than 20 years. “This is one of the services that I am very pleased to bring to this constituency before my pending retirement.”

In this modern age the need for people to have access to the internet is now a fundamental human right. There is much debate still around data protection and privacy but there’s no denying that greater access to the internet is bridging the economic disparity between richer and poorer nations, wealthy communities and those not so affluent.

“If it is that we are going to change the complexion of Jamaica in terms of how we operate, it means that we first must start with our young people, our children,” Lynton Weir, principal, Old Harbour High School, said. “We want to make Jamaica great again; and for us to make Jamaica great again then we must invest in our young people and we must invest in technology. So once again I want to use the opportunity to say to the individuals, the developers, that we are extremely thankful and that we’ll utilise the technology in its fullest sense as a school, as a community, so that Jamaica and all of us will be able to contribute to the growth and development of our country because Jamaica belong to all of us.”

George Goode, school principal of Old Harbour Primary stated: “I can tell you… when you go into a classroom and if you take up a chalk it means nothing to them right now. If you go into the classroom, not even the white board marker means anything to them, because they are about the new generation. They are in the age of technology and if you get a three-year-old or a four-year-old right now and give them a tablet or a smart phone, they can teach us the older ones. But I can tell you, these little ones when they get those gadgets they make so much out of it and have so much fun utilizing it. And we have to give them what is in their interest to grab their attention and to get them to where we want them to be.”

For Old Harbour native Chevaughn Brown, who is the current chairman of the National Youth Council of Jamaica, the availability of free Wi-Fi access in the town is one that his peers celebrate and are elated to witness this new reality in their town, having made several unsuccessful attempts in years gone by to get free internet in the main public space in Old Harbour.

“We were told that there was no funding and I am glad that Jamaica is on positive economic recovery and funds could have been allotted to setup our own hotspot here in Old Harbour and I think that is truly commendable,” said Brown, contending that the availability of Wi-Fi will create more reasons for youth to converge at the park in the town square and engage in meaningful discussions that impacts their lives personally and collectively.

He further contends that: “There’s not much safe space. Spaces that are conducive to being a youth and I would propose to the members who are right here to make this space a bit more youth friendly. Let us put all the resources out there to ensure that the young persons are able to reach their fullest potential.”