The Digital Observatory in Haiti (ObNH) welcomes the internet access available in 13 coaches of 3 different companies over 252 km between Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien.

For the traveler it is simply a WiFi terminal whose public connection key is displayed on the windshield of each bus. If the measured flow in some cities located on the route sometimes reaches about 300 Kbps, in other localities there is no connection at all.

The device is based mainly on a 4G router operating as a wifi access point and can support up to 20 simultaneous connections well below the average of 40 passengers by bus.

Self-service Internet access in Haiti's public transit is a step in the right direction. The main Internet access providers and mobile phone companies in Haiti are not promoting specific services for road transport operators at the moment, while the market exists and everything seems to indicate that it would be rather promising. In other countries like the Dominican Republic it is a sector in full expansion.

This added value in public transport requires a synergy between the various players to ensure the sustainability of the business model and the free service for the moment without advertising.

The ObNH congratulates the carriers for this achievement while taking into account a complicated deployment due in particular to the mountainous topography of Haiti which constitute important challenges for a larger scale deployment particularly towards the geographical departments of the North-West, Grande-Anse, and Center.

The ObNH invites other public carriers to follow in the footsteps of the pioneers of WiFi on board public transport throughout Haiti.

HL/ HaitiLibre