ALDABRA ATOLL ‘GETS CONNECTED’
The lesser known ‘other’ but nevertheless unique and in fact second to none UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Aldabra Atoll’ in the Seychelles, managed by the Seychelles Island Foundation, has now been ‘connected’ to allow VOIP calls via Kokonet, a service provider tapping into an existing internet connections to allow voice calls to land lines and mobile phones. Located over 1.000 kilometres from the main islands of the archipelago the ecosystem is ‘occupied’ by a permanent research team from the SIF, but also hosts guest researchers and is open for a chosen few to visit as tourists, who however have to stay on board their yachts and ships off the shores overnight to protect the fragile environment of the atoll and have the least possible impact on bird and aquatic life forms. Gone are the days that connections depended entirely on short wave radio or the expensive satellite phones since an internet dish for up- and down links was established on the island but VOIP connections are novel and allow both office communications as well as private calls for the resident researchers and other staff to call home once in a while.
Several others of the outer and more remote islands, unable to get linked via the Seychelles main GSM mobile systems, have also signed up with Kokonet to go high tech, used by guests staying in small private resorts on these solitary islands but also for the staff working there.
Way to go to stay connected.
