Christiana Celebrates Wi-Fi Hotspot

The community of Christiana in Manchester has celebrated the establishment of a free secured Wi-Fi hotspot.

This is one of several being installed by the Universal Service Fund (USF) in communities across the island.

Community members on Friday (July 15) started accessing the system after it was officially put into service. Member of Parliament for Manchester North Eastern, Hon. Audley Shaw, urged them to “actively” make it work for their growth.

“We have to actively embrace the technology, as it can help us to get success faster, to be more productive, more competitive and to go to higher heights,” Mr. Shaw, who is also the Minister of Transport and Mining, told his audience.

Adding that children and parents must be encouraged to embrace what is now an empowerment tool, he said their education can be improved once they use the facility wisely, to “enhance our learning experience, our business activities, and our communication activities,” the MP said.

The USF, an agency of the Ministry of Science, Energy and Technology, has commissioned hundreds of Wi-Fi hotspots and Community Access Points (CAPs) across the island and is executing projects valued at more than $1.2 billion for the current financial year.

In welcoming the system to the area, Principal of the Christiana High School, Leecent Wallace, said his students and staff had “geared up” for the Wi-Fi hotspot. He noted that many of them struggled during the full online classes to obtain data, and “this project is a step in the right direction,” the principal said.

Councillor for the Christiana Division, Desmond Harrison, said the area is “hub” to four other parishes, and people converging in Christiana will now have ease of communication.

For Inspector of Police, Valdin Amos, the facility is “something to celebrate”, as it will open communication between the police and the citizens, and “this service will assist the police in a special way,” the Inspector told his audience.

CAPs are Internet service facilities established in collaboration with community organisations and funded by the agency in furtherance of the Government’s universal service obligation.

Since 2007, the USF has outfitted more than 300 communities with Internet service. The agency has a mandate to ensure access to information and communications technology tools to facilitate development.