Over 620 Educational Institutions Now Have Internet Access via the National Broadband Initiative

More than 620 educational institutions islandwide are now connected to the Internet under the National Broadband Initiative.

Minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Skills and Digital Transformation, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, made the disclosure during the Forum for Innovations in Teaching, held at the National Arena on Thursday (January 25).

“That is a very big deal, and it is in addition to all the municipal corporations, the many ministries, departments and agencies of the government; and also, the courts across the island have been connected in this,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

The national broadband network aims to have every household and every community connected to the Internet.

Under the initiative, Jamaicans will be provided with a minimum level of broadband speed as a basic requirement.

They will benefit from high-speed broadband being provided as close as five kilometres to most homes and businesses.

Minister Morris Dixon also informed that phase one of the national fibre-optic cable installation exercise is now 100 per cent completed.

More than 700 kilometres of fibre-optic cables have been installed across Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny, and St. Ann.

“A lot of work has been done, and that is fibre (optic) that is owned by the Government of Jamaica for use by our educational institutions and our governmental entities,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

She further indicated that the first of three phases comprising the national microwave project was completed in September 2023, with work on the remaining two now under way.

“In terms of public and community Wi-Fi, plans are in place to enhance the service offerings, and that is important, as we won’t be able to get to every community or to every home. The dream of the Administration is that every home has access to reasonably priced internet services,” Dr. Morris Dixon stated.

“It is going to take a while to get there. So in the interim, what we are doing is community hotspots and public Wi-Fi facilities throughout Jamaica. So far, we have successfully implemented 24 public Wi-Fi facilities across the island, with an additional five… expected by next month,” she added.
This, Minister Morris Dixon pointed out, ensures that there is at least one public Wi-Fi facility available in each parish.