To mark World Literacy Day, TikTok has announced a new WiFi hotspot pilot program in collaboration with ThinkWiFi.

The pair will be rolling out 50 WiFi hotspots across South Africa, focusing in a handful of local townships – Soweto, Khayelitsha, Guguletu and Bushbuckridge.

The pilot will run for six months, but there is no mention yet of extending or indeed expanding the offering at the time of writing.

“This is a move by the entertainment platform to drive awareness and advocacy relating to the digital divide and the need for digital literacy inclusion for all communities,” explains a press release sent to Hypertext.

Regardless of how long the pilot lasts, it should at the very least offer some respite from the high cost of data and connectivity for people in the aforementioned townships.

“With this pilot, we hope to encourage more people to join digital spaces such as ours, to not only create content but to learn new skills and educate fellow community members about their passion and interests,” noted Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, director: Government Relations and Public Policy, Sub Saharan Africa at TikTok.

“We are excited to be making a contribution to one of the most important needs of our people today. Opportunities on the internet for our youth are endless but many South Africans do not have access to digital hardware, digital literacy skills and internet connectivity,” added Janine Rebelo, CEO of ThinkWiFi.

[Image – Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash]