December 16, 2020
Minister of Technology Daryl Vaz has announced an ambitious plan to have all houses in Jamaica connected to the Internet in just over four years.
Stating that the Government will make access to the Internet a public good , Vaz yesterday told Parliament that the aim is to have every household, every community connected by 2025 . Internet penetration in Jamaica stood at 55 per cent in January 2020.
Vaz yesterday said that attainment of nationwide Internet penetration is tied to the establishment of a National Broadband Network, which is projected to cost US$237 million. The funding options are being explored but the country can ill-afford to delay or abandon this strategy, Vaz said.
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Free public Wi-Fi was launched in May Pen, the parish capital, on November 22.
Chief executive officer of the USF, Daniel Dawes, said the COVID-19 pandemic has reiterated the need for Internet access.
“The Universal Service Fund is on a quest to outfit the major townships of the country with free public Wi-Fi, now more so than time passed because of the COVID experience,” Dawes said.
He added: “Clarendon keeps pouring in requests, so we’ll have to prioritise, but certainly there will be other areas. I can’t say now what area will be next in Clarendon, but Clarendon will definitely benefit from other deployments.”