Hundreds of entities connected to internet under National Broadband Initiative

A total of 14 parish courts, six police stations, all municipal corporations and 524 educational institutions across the island are now connected to the Internet under the national broadband initiative.

The institutions have been connected via dedicated internet access (DIA), a shared internet arrangement being managed by eGov Jamaica Limited (eGovJa) and financed by the Universal Service Fund (USF).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness made the disclosure during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, November 7.

“Every month new schools are added to the network. The team at the Ministry of Education and Youth have been diligent in their work to ensure that every school and every student has stable, low-cost access to the Internet,” Holness said.

“We need to bring more courts on to the system. More government entities will be brought on … 50 more, within the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA), and we are going to eventually have all our public schools on this network,” he added.

Holness further informed that fibre cables will be laid on roads being rehabilitated under the $40-billion, Shared Prosperity through Accelerated improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

“Once it is a road that carries significant traffic and has significant population along it, we will lay a fibre-optic cable. So, all our people will be connected ... .We are targeting 2,000 roads, so it is going to be a significant improvement in the creation of a national broadband network,” he said.

“We are not just laying down cables and erecting towers; we are building the foundation of a resilient, dynamic, and connected Jamaica. Through this effort, we affirm our dedication to equipping our citizens with the tools and opportunities they need to thrive in a global digital economy, fostering innovation, and ensuring that the benefits of the new Jamaica are shared by all,” he added.

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