Connectivity Hero Awards Honor Those Who Are Changing Lives Through Wireless Connectivity
ROLLING MEADOWS, IL, February 22, 2019 — Cambium Networks, a leading global provider of wireless networking solutions, today announced the second annual winner and most recent quarterly winners of the company’s Connectivity Hero Award. Launched in 2017, the award recognizes individuals who have made a difference in the lives of people and improved communities through their efforts to extend wireless connectivity and connect the unconnected.
The 2018 Connectivity Hero of the Year is: Duduzile Mkhwanazi, Project ISIZWE – Project Isizwe is a non-profit organization that advocates for and enables the deployment of free Wi-Fi hotspots within a walking distance in low-income communities. Project Isizwe partners with the private and public sectors and pioneered the deployment of the largest free public Wi-Fi network in Africa in the Tshwane Municipality, Gauteng, South Africa. Under Duduzile’s leadership, Project Isizwe pioneered connecting two mining communities to free Wi-Fi in partnership with Glencore Mine in Mpumalanga.
“In many unconnected areas of the world, people endure and persist, often traveling great distances, to perform tasks that require connectivity,” said Ritesh Patel Wireless LAN Analyst at Dell’Oro Group. “Wireless networks will continue to play an integral part of getting people connected. It is truly inspiring to see these Connectivity Heroes contributing to the global community by investing their personal time and assets to immediately and forever bridge the digital divide and change lives.”
“Connecting young people improves education and has a lasting change that improves young peoples’ lives forever,” said Atul Bhatnagar, President and CEO of Cambium Networks. “Wireless connectivity can leap far into rural areas and immediately connect students to the rest of the world, literally bridging the digital divide. We are impressed and encouraged by visionaries who see this opportunity for change and give of their own time and efforts to improve lives.”
The Connectivity Hero Awards are presented to up to four visionary people each calendar quarter, and there is one annual award. Quarterly honorees receive a $1,000 donation to a charity of their choosing. The annual winner receives a $5,000 donation to a charity of their choosing. All winners are featured on the Cambium Networks website.
In addition to being recognized as the 2018 Connectivity Hero of the Year, Duduzile Mkhwanazi, Project ISIZWE, was one of two Award winners for the fourth quarter of 2018
Project Isizwe is a non-profit organization that advocates for and enables the deployment of free Wi-Fi hotspots within a walking distance in low-income communities. In addition to connecting the two mining communities mentioned above, Project Isizwe also partnered with AWARE.org to use internet access as an enabler for their Responsible Alcohol Usage Program; and The Social Collective on their Free Wi-Fi Champions Program – both in Botshabelo (Free State) and Bushbuckridge (Nelspruit).
The second fourth quarter Award winner is
- Eric Wills, Wireless Applications Corp. After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, many of the wireless providers were stricken with the overwhelming work ahead to get all facilities back in working order for residents and businesses. Through the tight and loyal business relationship between Wireless Applications Corporation and Neptuno Networks (one of the major 3 wireless providers on the island), the utilization of Wireless Applications services team helped to quickly identify the outage areas, redesign and reroute microwave links to reach residents and businesses in the path, and get them back up and running faster than any provider on the island.
Nominations for the next round of Connectivity Hero Awards are open now and can be submitted online.
About Cambium Networks
Cambium Networks is a leading global provider of wireless connectivity solutions that strengthen connections between people, places and things. Specializing in providing an end-to-end wireless fabric of reliable, scalable, secure, cloud-managed platforms that perform under demanding conditions, Cambium Networks empowers service providers and enterprise, industrial and government network operators to build intelligent edge connectivity. Headquartered outside Chicago and with R&D centers in the U.S., U.K. and India, Cambium Networks sells through a range of trusted global distributors.