from DION HENRICK in Cape Town
CAPE TOWN – CELL C has begun the rollout of Wi-Fi hotspots countrywide to enable the South African public access to the internet .
The first spot has been launched at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in partnership with Facebook.
“As an innovative business, Cell C is continuously looking for ways to bring affordable, super-fast Internet access to South Africans. This partnership with Facebook is an ideal way to ensure that we live up to that commitment,” said Cell C Chief Executive Officer, Douglas Craigie Stevenson.
Facebook and Cell C have a long-standing partnership, with Cell C being the first mobile operator in South Africa to offer FreeBasics.
FreeBasics provides South Africans with access to basic services – such as communications tools, health information, jobs sites and education services – without data charges
“We are excited that Express Wi-Fi is available to people in South Africa through our partnership with Cell C,” said Guy Mordecai, Product Lead for Express Wi-Fi at Facebook.
Rollout across the City of Cape Town will provide access to anyone within the public Wi-Fi areas.
More areas will be announced once the municipality has approved additional rollout areas.
This follows the Memorandum of Understanding which was signed between Cell C and the city in 2018.
Dan Plato, Executive Mayor of Cape Town, welcomed the free service.
“Having this free service accessible to tertiary students can help their learning journey and that’s why we’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year with Cell C and look forward to expanding this feature as they plan to roll out a similar service at sites across Cape Town,” Plato said.
– CAJ News
