Two K’dua tertiary schools to get low-cost internet

Microsoft has announced new TV white space partnerships and projects including its newest partnership with SpectraLink Wireless and Facebook to provide low-cost wireless connectivity to tertiary institutions in Koforidua.

The partnership will see the deployment of wireless networks covering entire campuses at All Nations University College and Koforidua Polytechnic.

The IT giants announced this at this year’s Dynamic Spectrum Alliance Global Summit in Accra.
The pilot, which is part of Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative, is targetted at improving the continent’s global competitiveness. A core goal of the 4Afrika Initiative is to facilitate access to technology for the masses and to empower African students, entrepreneurs, developers, and others to become even more active global citizens.

Globally, Microsoft is now involved in white spaces pilots in 10 countries. TV white spaces, the unused portions of wireless spectrum in the frequency bands generally set aside for television transmissions, can be utilised for a range of applications, including:

• Providing low-cost connectivity;
• Connecting rural areas to broadband;
• Improving in-building wireless networks
• Creating hotspots for Internet access; and
• Offloading mobile traffic.

For students and faculty at the universities, access to the network will be coupled with productivity and communications applications as well as Internet-enabled devices. The networks will use TV white space-enabled radios and other wireless technologies to connect campus buildings, as well as off-campus hostels where students live, to ensure they have access to fast broadband.

The project is operating under a TV white space pilot licence granted by the National Communications Authority, and is the only TV white space licence currently issued in West Africa.

Facebook’s main involvement in the project will be to collaborate with Microsoft and SpectraLink Wireless on joint technology research to better understand how TV white space spectrum and equipment can support wireless Internet users today.

These efforts will be led by Facebook’s Connectivity Lab team, which is working on new technologies to support Internet.org’s mission to make Internet access available to the two-thirds of the world not yet connected.

According to John Sarpong, SpectraLink’s Chief Executive Officer, “This project will provide substantial benefit to students and faculty at the universities.

“Until now, students at these universities have not had consistent access to fast broadband, which is key to students’ ability to access information and learning resources online and compete in the 21st century economy.

“With SpectraLink Wireless’ Edutech-as-a-Service platform, students and faculty will have access to the best productivity applications on the market and Internet access at true broadband speeds at a low cost per-user per-month. We look forward to rolling this out in Koforidua and the rest of the country.”