by Gulf-Times.com
Free wireless Internet is being introduced in two new parks in Qatar this month as part of the iParks initiative by the Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR).
The communities in Dukhan and Simaisma will soon be able to take advantage of free, high speed connectivity while enjoying the beautiful parks. With Dukhan iPark being launched on June 12, 2012 followed by Simaisma Park on June 18, 2012, there will be a total of seven iParks in Qatar.
ictQATAR has worked in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning on the iParks project as part of its commitment to connect the people of Qatar to the technologies that can enrich their lives. Additionally, ictQATAR partnered with Qatar Petroleum in the development of the Dukhan iPark.
An official said ictQATAR will work closely with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning to continue the expansion of the initiative to include two new iParks each year for the coming years. Qatar aims to have the majority of its public parks and public places connected to wireless Internet by 2015. The current iParks in Doha are Rumaila, Sheraton and Dahl Al Haman parks, and there are also iParks in Al Wakrah Public Park and Corniche Al Khor.
Visitors to the iParks follow a simple registration and authentication process to access the Wi-Fi in each park, with access information available in both Arabic and English. The iParks’ wireless connection is completely secure with an authentication process which provides users with a secure PIN code sent by text once they register for the service. Users can get technical support if needed through the government call centre on 44069955.
The initiative, launched in 2007, has seen a steady increase in users in the current five iParks. iParks have an average of 6,700 users with approximately 31,000 sessions per month, and 350 unique users each day.
