Should you go down to Clifton Beach, in Cape Town, this festive season, you may be in for a big surprise. Those tanned bodies may be surfing from the beach. No, not body surfing, but surfing the Web.
Clifton, famous for its scantily clad sun worshippers, will be the newest WiFi hotspot in the country, thanks to a co-operative project between Intel, Mustek, Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) and Internet Solutions (IS). The entire beach will be turned into a WiFi hotspot that will allow any notebook PC with wireless capability to access the Internet, send and receive e-mails, pictures, holiday greetings and surf the Internet.
Mustek will supply a range of its Mecer notebook PCs with Intel Centrino mobile technology for the promotion, which will run daily from 09h00 to 12h00. Beachgoers will be invited to make use of the computers or to bring their own wireless-enabled notebook PCs to the beach to experience the convenience and power of true wireless computing. Staff will be on hand with laptops to demonstrate how easy it is to get connected and to show users how to get the best out of wireless networking.
"Anyone with a wireless adapter will be able to gain access to the Internet immediately," says Richard Vester, general manager, Mobile Solutions, IS. "As with all WiFi hotspots powered by IS - our customers can get access wherever they are. Our mobile solutions extend the network beyond bricks and mortar, cross borders and geographic regions. WiFi hotspots are part of these solutions and increasingly add value to our community of users. So this holiday season, should anyone prefer to be surfing the Net rather than taking in the views, they will have it all within their grasp."
In addition, Intel will fly in the world`s first wireless computer-equipped surfboard from Europe. The surfboard, a Gulfstream longboard, features a tablet PC sealed in a watertight plastic shell and a solar-powered battery charger. Checking out the surf is now real-time!
The Clifton 4th Beach hotspot launches on 16 December and runs until 8 January. Look out for promoters on the beach with their wireless laptops.
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Internet Solutions (IS) has transformed its business model and become the only full network service provider in the country.
The business was founded on the principle of developing a robust infrastructure in order for corporates to conduct e-business. Over the past decade IS has established itself as a leader in this space, attracting over 80% of SA`s top businesses as clients.
During its 10-year life span, IS has evolved and grown its service offerings. Today, the company is the leading hosting service provider and security service provider in SA, as well as having significant market share in the virtual private network (VPN) and application service provider (ASP) space.
Internet Solutions has earned an impressive collection of accolades, including eight First National Bank "Most Admired" awards, two Financial Mail Best Company to Work For awards, a place in the Top Unlisted Company Awards and first place in the ISP category for ComputerWeek Strategist`s Best of Breed IT Awards, 2004.
The company partners with major players such as Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle BT and AT&T, and in 2002 was certified as a Cisco Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), the first and only company outside of the US to be awarded this accolade.
For more, visit us on www.is.co.za.