Tristan : Islanders Welcome First Internet Cafe
Submitted by Tristan Times (Sarah Glass) 03.08.2006 (Current Article)

Now Tristan is online and you will be hearing from them directly.

Photo (c) James Glass - Too busy to turn around and say "Cheese"

ISLANDERS WELCOME FIRST INTERNET CAFÉ

By Sarah Glass (Tristan Times)

 These Tristanians - who shall remain anonymous - are too busy to smile for the camera.

Approximately eight years ago the first e-mail system was set up for the Administrator Brian Baldwin to communicate with the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) in London.  Brian being a family man himself with children overseas sympathised with the islanders and helped to give limited access to the islanders in special circumstances.  Later the public e-mail system was set up and charges began at 50p per e-mail, this quickly increased to £1 and then a further increased to £6.50p.  The length of the message did not make a difference.  Unless you live on an island with approximately eight visits by vessels bring cargo and mail from Cape Town South Africa, you would not understand the frustration of not having good communications, and this has been a topic for discussion for many years by the Island Council and Chief Islanders since.

Now, thanks to the UK foreign and Commonwealth Offices Telecommunications Network (FTN), affordable phone and Internet systems are available to islanders, and they are extremely happy.   For Islanders it's a luxury to go and send his/her own e-mails and receive them privately.  At one time some islanders with family overseas could be paying one third of their earnings on phone bills, now the cost is the cost of a local call in the UK.  At one time due to low wages islanders could only afford to phone friends and family once a month, now they can afford to do it once or twice a week.

To date Government Departments have eleven phones and six computers with Internet access installed. The Internet cafe has four computers for public use, and three phones, and many islanders have already opened an account and have their personal e-mail address.  The FTN project will continue to develop and more equipment is due to arrive on the Edinburgh sailing this month, when all Government departments will be fitted with phones and Internet access in due course.  The next stage will be to have phones and Internet access install to island homes.

Now with Internet access islanders can send as many e-mails to family and friends away from home as often as they wish.  The big plus to the Internet is that you are able to go on websites and see an item before placing the order with agents in South Africa or the UK.  Previously you could order an item and wait months only to receive the wrong thing, and having to return it to wait a further few months. For young people building a house internet access also means being able to go on websites and see things they need that they are unaware is available overseas.  This week pupils from St Mary's School had a chance to search the web with IT teacher Iris Green for the first time, and will continue to do so in the future.  The school children take priority using the Internet cafe and have the building book for periods during the week.

Tristan has continued to prosper in the last 500 years since its discovery and there's only one piece left to the puzzle, and that's a (safe operational) new harbour.  Consultants are due to visit in September for an assessment of the old harbour, so we continue to be optimistic.