Presentation. Susana Gomila explaining the concept

Presentation. Susana Gomila explaining the concept

04/05/10 0:00
TW
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Almost three-quarters of the island has no access to Internet, affecting around 15% of the population in winter and up to 30% in summer, and many places are still without land line telephone connections. In order to rectify the situation 'Menorca Accesible' was set up a year ago by the Balearic Government and the Island Council. The project will cost around three million euros, 887,320 of which will be provided by the Island Council and the remainder by the Balearic Government.

This summer should see some users starting to benefit from the creation of a new cableless telecommunications network, designed to provide a service to rural areas on a par with that offered to residents in towns. The Councillor for Innovation, Susana Gomila, explained that the Island Council was trying to develop the use of new technology for the progress and well-being of Menorcan society.

The plan's main objective is to ensure that the whole island has access to information technology, particularly in the agricultural areas and tourist resorts, and can access the Internet on the same conditions as those who do so via cable, i.e. offer a similar quality of service with a velocity of between 1 and 3 megas at similar prices.

The Balearic Government is responsible for the installation of twelve base stations, nine of which have already been installed: S'Enclusa, Cala Morell, Binibèquer, S'Algar, El Toro, Son Bou, Cala en Porter, Coves Noves and Es Milà. The Island Council will be in charge of connecting the bases to a central point and guaranteeing a connection between the stations and the end users, as well as for running the network's central point (CPD).

The design, supply and installation of the technological infrastructure needed will take up to six months from the signing of the contract. Nevertheless, one month after the signing, the company will have to install the system in two base stations (the Maó industrial estate and Binibèquer) and the CPD to allow Internet connection, so it is possible that some users might see the benefits of the service this summer. The idea is to start in the Sant Lluís area which currently has poor coverage.