Doha: The Ministry of Inform-ation and Communications Technology yesterday said that Shahaniya and Umm Salal parks are now part of iParks initiative which will allow visitors of these parks to access free wireless Internet.
The iParks initiative, launched in 2007 in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP), has seen a steady increase in users in the current seven iParks. The number of users benefiting free Wi-Fi access in public parks tripled over the past three years. Now iParks have more than 14,000 unique users per month, exceeding 60,000 sessions, and 450 unique users each day.
The ICT Ministry has worked in collaboration with the Public Parks Department of the MMUP on the iParks project as part of its commitment to connect the people of Qatar to the technologies that can enrich their lives.
“The iParks initiative was launched in 2007. The success witnessed has led us to expand the service in more public parks out of Doha, and here we are today witnessing an extension of this service to the Shahaniya and Umm Salal parks with the support of the Public Parks Department of the MMUP, bringing the total number of iParks to 9,” said Reem Al Mansoori, Executive Director, ICT & Society, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.
“Residents of Al Rayan Municipality and Umm Salal Municipality will now enjoy free, high-speed Internet connection”, said Reem Al Mansoori. “The big turnout on the service from people who strive to balance between work and leisure time, as well as those who lack Internet connection at home, encouraged us to expand the scope of the service to more areas outside of Doha,” she noted.
“As part of our strategy to deliver more public spaces and parks that meet international standards and attract users from all sections of society, we dedicate our children with the latest in children play and educational equipment. Teenagers can stay in shape by visiting our sports field provided in most of our parks. Parents and elders, as well, can enjoy jogging tracks and outdoor fitness for their well-being,” said Mohammed El-Khoori, Director of the MMUP’s Public Parks Department.
The bilateral work is to continue toward further expansion of the initiative to include new iParks in the coming years. Qatar aims to have 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 Dukhan, Simaisma, Al Wakrah and Corniche Al Khor.
The Peninsula
