Students, researchers and staff of learning institutions connected to the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU) will now be able to access their institution Internet beyond their campuses after the NREN introduced the metro deployment of eduroam to enable users connect to the wireless network while working away from their institutions.
RENU unveiled the innovation on 1st September, 2020 after deploying eduroam in over 300 spots in Kampala, Mukono and Entebbe to connect students, researchers and university staff that have challenges accessing the campus Wi-Fi due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Under the initiative, the RENU IT team is helping institutions connected to the RENU network to deploy the secure, wireless network, allowing staff, students and researchers from such institutions use their devices to connect to the campus network while off-campus.
“Before the deployment, staff, students and researchers could access eduroam only when they were working within the premises of their institution. Now they can access eduroam within the comfort of their residences, malls, restaurants, parks, streets, airports, etc,” reads a statement released by RENU.
Universities in Uganda have remained closed since March 2020 following a presidential decree aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the East African country.
Following the decree, staff, students and researchers that relied on campus networks have been unable to access affordable internet connectivity due to high cost of data bundles from commercial Internet Service Providers.
The metro deployment of eduroam in Uganda, therefore comes as a relief to the users who will still be able to access high speed, secure, dedicated and affordable internet connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The solution will also go a long way to help students to effectively participate in sonline study which seems to be the most viable option for many learning institutions if they are to pursue their programs while keeping their students and staff safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read the RENU press statement at https://renu.ac.ug/assets/docs/eduroam-press-release.pdf.