Coca-Cola machines in South Africa will soon be Wi-Fi hotspots

Vending machines are great for selling your product in places where one can’t really set up a store. They’re easy to use and not too expensive to maintain. Internet access is increasingly being seen as a need for a community that wishes to prosper, and Coca-Cola is doing something about that in South Africa. It is going to set up Wi-Fi enabled Coke vending machines that will not only allow people to get their fizzy drink fix, but also get connected to the internet as well.

In this day and age, if a community is to prosper, it certainly helps if its residents have internet access. With that in mind, Coca-Cola South Africa has partnered with bottler Coca-Cola Fortune and communications company BT Global Services to provide underserved South African communities with free Wi-Fi … which will be built into Coke vending machines. Initially, the Wi-Fi will be available at machines located in two outlets – the Sasol Integrated Energy Centre in the village of Qunu in the country’s Eastern Cape province; and the Thokozane Fast Food store, in the city of Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga province. Both locations are reportedly near schools and shopping centers, and are popular with locals. No purchase will be necessary to access the Wi-Fi, and it will remain available to individual users for as long as they’re in the area. It is hoped that among other things, it will allow students to perform research for school projects, and let small business owners manage their affairs online.