"ECTEL and FLOW invest over US $200 000 toward ICT Development in Communities throughout Grenada"

October 6, 2011, St. George’s, Grenada. Telecommunications giant, FLOW, the island’s lone triple play service provider, on Thursday launched its Community Access Points project (CAPs) to members of the media and other invited guests. FLOW, the successful bidder for this Universal Service Fund Project circulated by ECTEL and the NTRC, will establish 10 Community Access Points (CAPs) with Broadband and other related services in communities throughout Grenada by the end of 2011. In keeping with the thrust of Universal Service for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), ECTEL through the NTRC opened to qualified telecommunication providers the opportunity to bid on this project.

The Community Access Points are designed to provide access to broadband and other ICT related services to communities where service availability is limited or underutilized. Each centre will be equipped with up to 5 computers with access to the Internet, word progressing, graphic design, electronic mailing, and many other services. The full service centres will also have facilities which allow for printing, copying and faxing, making it convenient for residents to benefit from these services 7 days a week within their immediate community. Speaking at the launch, Flow’s Country Manager, Gail Purcell stated, “In today’s thrust for ICT based education it is increasingly important for all segments of our society to gain exposure to computers and Broadband technologies, as a leading telecommunications provider FLOW is proud to take the lead in ensuring Grenada is the first to launch Universal Service and positively impact on the development of our communities”

As he welcomed the launch of the CAPs, Prime Minister, Honourable Tillman Thomas stated “technology and other related services should be available and affordable to every single Grenadian”, he further stated “since coming into office my Government has focused on the development of a knowledge based society through ICT related development.” Also commenting on the impact of this project, Mt. Rich resident Adrian Alexis welcomed the establishment of this project in his community as he recounted a recent personal experience when his nephew walked 10 miles from Mt. Rich to Grenville on a Sunday in order to complete his home work assignment that required computer and internet access.

The Community Access Points will be established in the communities of Mt. Rich, Hermitage, Mt. Craven, Rose Hill, Grand Roy, Corinth, La Portiere, Marquis, Mt. Tout and Willis. The CAPs project will be delivered to all 10 communities by December 2011 and each centre will commence operation in January 2012.

 

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Flow is the brand of Columbus Communications Grenada Limited. The company is wholly owned by the international telecommunications company, Columbus Communications Inc., a leader in broadband network construction and in the provision of telecommunications services in the Caribbean and Central America.

For more information, contact:

Rockell Clement-George
230-2964/534-0784
rclement@columbusgrenada.com
www.flowgrenada.com