Qatar's public park to have free internet access

The "i-Parks" MoU was signed by His Excellency Sheikh Abdulrahman Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Minister of Municipality and Dr. Hessa Al Jaber, Secretary General of ictQATAR.

In tune with ictQATAR's overarching goal of providing "Broadband for All" and building a knowledge based society, 'i-Parks' aims to increase internet usage by creating 'hot spots' within public areas with free internet access.

Mainly targeting, tourists, citizens, students and families, "i-Parks" will play a significant role in promoting tourism, empowering citizens, improving public services and fostering economic development.

Three parks are initially selected to be internet enabled which are Albidda, Sheraton and Dahal Alhamam park. The three 'i-Parks' will be operational by the end of the year.

According to Mohammed Al-Emadi, i-Parks Project Manager at ictQATAR, with the signing of the MoU, Qatar has become among the leading countries in the region to embark in such an undertaking. "Internet parks are the wave of the future and Qatar will become a part of this global trend and provide internet access to all citizens," said Al-Emadi.

More than $700 million will be invested over the next three years to build public wireless broadband networks worldwide. There are currently 21 "i-Parks" in New York City alone.

i-parks will provide the Ministry of Municipality with an opportunity to position Qatar's public attraction facilities as a regional model and promote Qatar's public parks. The project will also encourage outdoors activities for leisure and businesses, entice local businesses to provide amenities to parks and access to its services via the parks portal.

The project was conceived after a market research conducted by ictQATAR at the beginning of the year on public usage of the internet in Qatar. One of the key findings among respondents was the need for a wider spread of internet access points in public areas like parks, coffee shops, restaurants and hotels, at a reduced cost.

Along with providing full coverage of WiFi network, each "ipark" will develop a website to promote its activities and showcase advertisers' products.

To ensure "i-Parks" sustainability, the Ministry of Municipality and ictQATAR will focus on attracting the private sector to take a leading role in advancing the goals of this project.

Mr. Mohammed Al-Emadi emphasized that the success of 'i-parks' will largely depend on creating public awareness about the importance of internet parks by undertaking extensive outreach program, maximize stakeholders engagement throughout the process, ensure business involvement and keep citizens informed to optimize usage.