Patara supports PICISOC's PacINET 2006 Wireless Broadband for Schools Project

Suva, FIJI -- August 11, 2006 -- As part of the PacINET 2006 Conference in Apia, Samoa, the Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) will be running a Wireless Broadband for Schools Project.

The broad objective of the project is to provide a pod of computers and broadband Wi-Fi Internet access to two remote schools in the northwest corner of the island of Upolu, Samoa. The project will train Teachers/Students in the schools on how to use the computers and provide ongoing technical support.

The feasibility of Wi-Fi over water will also be trialled by connecting the island of Manono to the Internet.

The project will be supported by a consortium of Donors, Businesses and voluntary Organisations from the region. The various partners in the Project will provide initial funding and voluntary labour, and ongoing operational costs will be subsidised by commercial users using part of the service.

PICISOC Members attending the PacINET conference are invited to participate in the Project and gain first hand experience at installing broadband Wi-Fi networks as well as doing their bit for the local community.

This Project is possible through the kind contribution of the following consortium partners:

The project is being co-ordinated by Ian Thomson, a current Trustee and past Chair of the 2020 Communications Trust and PICISOC Member.

"PICISOC, with the kind contribution of its project partners, has been able to continue the tradition of providing something of benefit to the local community as part of the PacINET conference. This leaves behind what we call the "PacINET legacy" for the host country, and we hope this years initiative in providing a means to access the Internet for a couple of remote schools in Samoa will perhaps go some way to bridging the digital divide for not only the school students but the local community as well" said Rajnesh D. Singh, PICISOC Chairman.

For futher information about PICISOC and the PacINET conference visit the PICISOC website here

About PICISOC
PICISOC (www.picisoc.org) is the Pacific Islands Chapter of The Internet Society (ISOC). It covers 22 Pacific Islands Countries with a membership of more than 350 individuals in the region. The Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society serves the Society’s purposes by serving the interests of the global Internet community through its presence in the Pacific Islands. PICISOC focuses on ICT, and internet issues and development in the Pacific region, and acts as an impartial advisor to governments, organisations and the public on matters of significant interest to Pacific Island people.

About PacINET
PacINET which is an annual regional conference for practitioners, developers, researchers and those interested in ICT from all sectors to exchange information on the system design, enabling technologies, and anecdotal experiences related to the use of ICT in the Pacific Islands. Since its humble beginnings in 2002, PacINET has evolved to become the region's premier ICT event attracting participants from within the Pacific region as well as from far afield as Asia, Europe and the USA.