Vodafone Ghana has partnered with Facebook to deploy Express Wifi in residential areas.
Express Wi-Fi aims to reduce barriers to connectivity such as limited infrastructure and high data costs, giving more people, such as small business entrepreneurs and developers, the opportunity to connect and build community The Wifi will enable retail entrepreneurs to offer fast and affordable Wi-fi services at hotspots spread across communities.
Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Yolanda Cuba, said, “It is necessary for everyone no matter his or her background to connect to industrial and digital revolution especially in the current world where technology dominates.
She said according to the National Communications Authority, despite a data penetration rate of 80.3 per cent, large portions of underprivileged Ghanaians were still unable to afford easy access to data due to the price.
She noted that the partnership between the two progressive technology companies was set to transform an industry that was already making a concerted effort to establish data dominance in the sub-region, adding that, Vodafone had already deployed hotspots within Accra for the initiative at areas including Nima, Maamobi, Pigfarm, Jamestown and Abossey Okai.
“Affordability remains an issue for users in the underserved regions of the country, despite their high demand for data, and this initiative is the answer,” she said.
Express Wifi has also been deployed in a number of countries, including India, Kenya, Indonesia, Nigeria and Tanzania.
Edited by Fundisiwe Maseko
Follow Fundisiwe Maseko on Twitter
Follow IT News Africa on Twitter