Aruba Networks to hold WiFi education meetings in Zimbabwe

A California network and security solutions company, Aruba Networks, which was recently acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $2.7 billion, will be in Zimbabwe at the invitation of Solution Centre on the 18th (in Harare), 19th (Bulawayo) and 21st  of August (Victoria Falls) to hold open meetings with the public on matters surrounding WiFi and connectivity issues.

The main topic on the agenda from Aruba Networks is how to get the fastest most secure network for businesses and access providers. It is mainly targeting the education, hospitality, medical and business sectors as providers of last mile services and entities that leverage on WiFi connectivity to deliver products.

Aruba Networks is popular for its LAN technologies that eliminate the need for wired networks which are still prevalent in Zimbabwe.

The country is currently struggling with finding a solution for retail and last mile broadband delivery, which explains the various FFTH solutions we have seen recently. We have also spoken about how expensive and inconvenient the current WiFi connectivity is, with less than 1,000 hotspots across the country, though priced relatively cheaper than mobile data.

There is no Municipal or fully covered Metropolitan WiFi in any Zimbabwean city and the responsibility to connect the gap mainly lies on profit making private entities and TelOne, thus the steep pricing. Outside of mobile data, home connections have mainly been point-to-specific-point through the use of dongles and hybrid satellite technology.

This new drive by Solutions Centre seems to be targeted at internet service providers, Internet Access Providers(IAPs) and consumers themselves, educating them on Aruba Networks solutions and trying rope them into this identified space.

When the network solution providers themselves begin to sell their solution directly to the consumer, it could be a sign that the internet providers have not done enough to service their domain.

Aruba has provided solutions that include wireless workplaces, WiFi solutions for public venues, BYO-everything mobile engagement and productivity and network security for Government and private players worldwide.

image credit : Aruba Networks