Wi-Fi and VoIP Together in Jamaica
The Jamaica Observer looks at the story behind American Darryl Wehmeyer's creation of Copia Wireless Communications in 2001. Wehmeyer had visited Jamaica a number of times as a tourist, and was annoyed by the lack of Internet access on the island — so he decided to move there and start his own wireless Internet service provider.
The company focused on the hospitality industry, targeting tourists who wanted Wi-Fi access in hotels and restaurants. Copia Wireless now serves many such locations, as well as the Mandeville Hospital, the Caribbean's first Wi-Fi-enabled medical institution. Wehmeyer is now shifting his focus to the residential market. "Jamaica has a population of 2.6 million people but only 500,000 phone lines," he says.
Key to Wehmeyer's plan is the fact that the company now offers VoIP services along with Wi-Fi — turning his offering into a complete voice-and-data solution. "VoIP is probably going to be the driving force of our product," he says. "Whether they are using our VoIP or someone else's, it's going to be one of the main ingredients. We will offer a voice service option to provide a local phone number and competitive rates for local and overseas calls."