Flow likely to come on board with the provision of free access to dark fibre strands on the north coast

Jamaica’s light and power company, the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), has logged on to the National Broadband Service, which seeks to provide free national broadband service.

Daryl Vaz, minister of science, energy and technology, who made the disclosure in a statement to Parliament yesterday (February 1), advised that JPS has agreed to support the initiative by offering the use of its utility poles for the running of aerial fibre.

Vaz told the House of Representatives that, “this permission was received last week and already JPS, Jamaica’s light and power company, and the National Works Agency are in discussions regarding the manner in which the infrastructure works will be executed”.

Vaz reminded the Parliament that the Government of Jamaica has been in negotiations with the JPS with respect to the manner in which it can offer support to the National Broadband Initiative. He advised that tenders have also been issued for contractors to erect these cables in St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and Westmoreland. 

The minister explained that, “while the tender process for some contractors is complete, the responses to other tenders are currently being evaluated; with a view to completing the tender process in short order”.

FLOW BEING BROUGHT ON BOARD

Vaz told the House that telecoms firm Flow Jamaica is being ushered to become a part of the programme, adding that discussions are currently under way for the company to provide gratis or free access to two dark fibre strands on the north coast to supply end-to-end access.

This end-to-end access will be from the St James Municipal Corporation to the St Ann Municipal Corporation, St Ann Municipal Corporation to the St Mary Municipal Corporation, the St Mary Municipal Corporation to the Portland Municipal Corporation and the Portland Municipal Corporation to the St Thomas Municipal Corporation.

According to him, “Flow has remained consistent in its support of the execution of the National Broadband initiative. I am therefore optimistic that the outcome of these negotiations will be quite favourable”.

As it regards community wifi, the minister reminded the Parliament that, in his September 2021 presentation, he reported that 189 communities were selected for the Community Wi-Fi Initiative and that this would be implementation in four phases.

He disclosed that the Government has reduced the number of phases under this initiative to three noting that, “at that time also, we had completed eight of the 28 sites in phase one. I am pleased to report that 59 sites of the 60 sites in phase I and II been established”.

The remaining 130 sites, including the Phase I site, Facey District in St Catherine North Eastern which, was retendered, are expected to be completed by March 31, 2022. The minister announced yesterday that he is on track to meet this target of the provision of 20 public wifi sites across the country by March 31 this year.