HILARY HOSIA
Various notification sounds went off simultaneously on multiple devices last Thursday as residents of Ennibur Island (Third Island) in Kwajalein were connected to the Internet for the first time.
Such was the scene at the College of Marshall Islands’ Distance Learning Center on Third Island at the end of last week as people lined up to get online. Internet service for the first time in 2022!
To date, people have been flocking to the center following CMI’s announcement to provide free wifi from 10am to 10pm for a span of two weeks.
“There were students, mothers with strollers and non-school aged kids with devices,” an IT staff told the Journal. “There were people on the stairs, outside on the logs and even lined up in the doorway.”
Ennibur residents have always had smart phones and the latest gadgets due to their stable income as the main workforce for the US Army base on Roi-Namur next door.
Internet is available on Roi-Namur for the workforce and those with special daily laundry clearance.
Ennibur has a population of little over a thousand with homes relying purely on solar and portable generators for power.
President David Kabua has announced plans to run a power cable line from Roi-Namur to Ennibur. The plan to utilize Roi-Namur excess power is still in the works, according to Kwajalein leadership.