Working together for free WiFi
Tuesday July 26 2011 | 03:16 AM

THE Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation is working with Government and the Community Development Department, to make free Wi-Fi available at every community centre in this island.

Word of this has come from Christopher Harper, Programme Manager at the Barbados Entrepreneurship Foundation (BEF). He told those attending a news conference yesterday morning at the BEF’s Woodland office, that they were working assiduously to get that initiative rolled out before the end of September and he said, they are well on their way to seeing it come to fruition.

His comments came moments after Melanie Jones, Director and Business Facilitation Pillar Champion with the BEF, disclosed to the media the progress that has, and is being made, with respect to the 100 percent free Wi-Fi campaign. She indicated that to date, several businesses on the West and South Coasts of the island, including several hotels and restaurants, and at least one medical facility have come on board and they have a commitment from several other businesses to unlock their internet and allow the public access. She said that there has been a tremendous cross-sectoral buy-in of the project and they are hopeful that individuals will come on board too.

“The unlocking of the padlock in almost all of these cases has occurred not by means of people just opening up their own Wi-Fi so that people who are not part of their organisation can necessarily access their internal network, but what most people have done, which is an extremely safe well-managed, closely monitored opportunity and which can be with equipment, which is really quite inexpensive, is to create... a split off some of their own bandwidth and they are creating free guest Wi-Fi networks,” she explained.

Additionally, she said that they have a vision of all of the polyclinics around the island and doctors’ offices being able to offer free Wi-Fi. Moreover, she said that the Bridgetown Port is already sharing their Wi-Fi and she added, the Foster and Ince Group is interested in enhancing their service to carry their Wi-Fi signal as far as the ships that would be anchored in the Port.

Jones added that they want to see more switching on in areas outside of the South Coast and the West Coast and that is where, she said, the churches, community centres and polyclinics will play a very pivotal role – helping to connect the East Coast and Central areas.