Beverage manufacturer Coca-Cola South Africa, its bottling partner Coca-Cola Fortune and information and communication technology provider BT Global Services have partnered to provide impoverished communities with free WiFi through Coca-Cola vending machines.
Coca-Cola was responsible for installing the refreshment-dispensing coolers, while BT provided design, support, connectivity, Internet access and business training for the initiative.
“The initiative forms part of Coca-Cola’s commitment to building sustainable communities by empowering the members of these communities.
“We believe that by giving them access to free WiFi, we will enable students and school children in the area to increase their knowledge through research, while also giving entrepreneurs and small business owners in the community the opportunity to manage some of their business aspects online,” Coca-Cola South Africa chief information officer David Visser said.
The project has been piloted in two areas in Umtata, in the Eastern Cape, and Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
In Umtata, the WiFi-enabled machine was situated at the Sasol Integrated Energy Centre in Qunu, which was a popular spot for locals and was in close proximity to a taxi rank, attracting large numbers of people.
The second machine was located at Thokozane Fast Food in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga.
The companies noted that both outlets were in the vicinity of shopping centres and schools, allowing members of the communities to combine their day-to-day activities with the opportunity to access the Internet for business and educational purposes.
Internet access is offered for free through WiFi, without any purchase requirement of any kind and was accessible for the duration of the time spent at the outlets.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Coca-Cola and be involved in a project that will give underserved communities much improved access to information and education opportunities.
“At BT, we have a vision for a connected society to help improve society globally through the power of digital connections. As well as providing access, we want to help people use technology to apply their creativity and harness the possibilities of today's connected world,” BT sub-Saharan Africa MD Oliver Fortuin commented.
Coca-Cola South Africa, Coca-Cola Fortune and BT aimed to grow the project and install WiFi coolers in various parts of South Africa to help support and grow sustainable communities.