One Man's Plan to Bring WiFi to an Entire Continent
We've heard companies promise over and over to blanket American cities with wireless internet, so that you have a signal no matter where you stand. We've yet to see it work yet in practice, though, which makes the claims of a new organization called JoinAfrica even more audacious. It is going to cover all of Africa with WiFi signals.
—founded by Paul English, who made his money on the travel site Kayak—is going to work by partnering with African telecom companies and installing WiFi in villages. The service would allow people to access basic internet services like email and Wikipedia, but wouldn't permit high-data downloads like videos.
Right now, internet penetration in Africa is only at 8.7 percent, so English has his work cut out for him. But he also knows how important internet is, having already helped install WiFi in villages around the continent and seeing the results that occur when they can connect to the rest of the world.
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