THE JOMO Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has become the first airport in Eastern Africa to go wireless after Ericonet Ltd, a Wireless ISP company, commissioned the first public hotspot in the country.
This means that travelers can now access the Internet anytime at designated areas called "hotspots," within the airport using personal laptop computers or other Wi-Fi enabled handheld devices, such as mobile phones.
Kenya becomes the second country Africa to have hotspots at its international airports. Three South African international airports; Johannes burg, Cape Town and Durban are wireless.
A hotspot is a place where wireless base station that allows anyone with a Wi-Fi equipped computer or handheld device access the Internet has been up. Wi-Fi, short for wireless fidelity allows laptops and other mobile devices to connect to Internet wirelessly and at broadband speeds.
Ericonet has also just unwired the Dar es Salaam International Airport and the Golden Tulip Tanzania, in addition to ]KIA and several other wireless networks in the region. The Dar es Salaam International Airport, however, yet to be commissioned, says Ericonect director Morris.
Ericonet, a Wireless Internet Service Provider in East Africa, is partnering with the Kenya Airports Authority to roll out hotspots in airports in Kenya.
Speaking during the launch July 6, KAA managing director George Muhoho said, "This the first step to making our airports world- class."
The JKIA hotspots are integrated with the rapidly growing Global Broadband Internet Access (GBIA) network, which has integrated several Wireless ISPs and is already providing access in over 4, 000 locations including major airports around the world. Global Broadband Internet Access GBIA) is an international network of independent Wireless ISPs.
The hotspots situated KIA will target both the international and local business travellers who would like spend the so called "dead waiting for connecting flights to access their office network, file reports and access e-mail.
Global travellers will now able to roam seamlessly between GBIA-integrated airports in Kenya and all Over world without changing any settings on their laptop, using their existing user name and password and applying the payment method of their choice.
PicoPoint, a Dutch company based in Amsterdam, will ply Ericonet with a centrally managed back-office and roaming solution, providing essential authentication, authorization, accounting, billing and settlement services that will enable Ericonet to offer a carrier-grade Wi-Pi network at the Kenyan airports.
Together PicoPoint, Ericonet will offer clients the freedom to move work freely without the inconvenience of cables and operate within wireless networks is expected that in the years, most companies attempt to execute wireless application strategies, bringing number of wireless data users to 36 million by the end this year.
The Wireless Local Network will be the way get there since it is the fastest, most economical way for enabling business wirelessly.
Antony Wachira, head of ICT at KAA tells me that they are at procurement stage. The service will be concessioned and will be available at JKIA and Moi Airport at a fee to users.WaudoOn Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:59 +0300, "Joseph Mucheru" <mucheru@google.com> wrote:On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 7:10 PM, waudo siganga <emailsignet@mailcan.com> wrote:
Robert, Wesley - I am attending a conference in Mombasa with the head of ICT at KAA - so I will mention this to him tomorrow and hear what he says. I agree its a problem. There should be pervasive airside and landside wireless, preferably free like in Singapore and Dubai airports.
And Rwanda!
WaudoOn Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:10 +0000, "robert yawe" <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Wesley,
They are called ISPs, you can take the donkey to the river but you cannot make it drink.
Regards
Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya
Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
--- On Tue, 26/1/10, wesley kirinya <kiriinya2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: wesley kirinya <kiriinya2000@yahoo.com>
Subject: [ke-internetusers] JKIA-Lack of wireless internet
To: "ke-users" <ke-internetusers@bdix.net>
Date: Tuesday, 26 January, 2010, 15:46
*Sigh* I lack words on how to start this. I don't have to explain it. Can something be done ASAP so that JKIA can have free, fast WiFi Internet accessible everywhere (even from the toilets). Now, how can Kenya boast of broadband when the gateway to Africa (JKIA) has nothing to show of it. Imagine the very many passengers who use KQ (and other airlines) from all around Africa who pass by our airport: Company Directors, CEOs, CTOs, CFOs, ... Basically people who Kenya is trying to reach in order to attract investments in various sectors including IT. These are the same people going to invest in the rest of Africa. It's beyond my thinking why JKIA has never tapped into this even before the fibres came.
It's been a couple of months since I was there. Perhaps someone who was there more recently can give us an update on the current situation. I sure hope it has changed.
8~(
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