For the inaugural World Wi-Fi Day, the WBA is honouring and recognizing several successful case studies of Wi-Fi deployments from around the world. These case studies provide strong examples of bridging the digital divide and ‘Connecting the Unconnected,’ and we couldn’t be prouder to announce the shortlists of nominees in the following categories:
Best Wi-Fi Deployment to Connect the Unconnected in a Rural Environment
Evaluation criteria – Complexity and/or scale of deployment; innovation applied in the deployment; market impact in terms of size of population
- KT – KT ‘Giga Island’ Initiative
- Liquid Telecom – Free Wi-Fi in Nakuru County, Kenya
- Project Isizwe – Innovative solutions bring rural Limpopo online
Best Wi-Fi Deployment to Connect the Unconnected in an Urban Environment
Evaluation criteria – Complexity and/or scale of deployment; innovation applied in the deployment; market impact in terms of size of population
- Cisco – Melita Furthers Malta’s Smart Island Vision with Carrier Wi-Fi
- MallorcaWiFi – City of Palma de Mallorca
- Transit Wireless, BAI Communications – New York City Subway
Best Product or Service to Connect the Unconnected
Evaluation criteria – Creativity and Innovation applied in the product and service; market impact in terms of adoption or/and relevancy; improve or enhance the user experience or service delivery
- Google – Bringing the Internet to more Indians
- City of New York, Intersection, Qualcomm, and CIVIQ Smartscapes – LinkNYC
- Veniam – Connected Vehicles Make Cities Smarter
Most Innovative City or Government Program to Bridge the Digital Divide
Evaluation criteria – Comprehensive and complexity of the program; mobilization of the ecosystem and/or go to market approach; market impact and/or size and implementation status
- Intersection – LinkNYC
- Liquid Telecom – Free Wi-Fi in Nakuru County, Kenya
- Project Isizwe – Tshwane Free Wi-Fi
Congratulations to all of the shortlisted nominees! Be sure to check back on Wednesday, 29 July, when we unveil the winners.
