In an effort to appeal to younger generations, the Navy will begin offering free Wi-Fi exclusively to sailors living in barracks at Norfolk and Portsmouth installations beginning next week.
The Navy is deploying Wi-Fi as part of the “virtual single sailor program” to enhance the “lifestyle of the modern sailor” with access to online games, shows and movies, according to a Navy advertisement shared with The Virginian-Pilot.
The program launches Feb. 1 with full implementation planned for March. Wi-Fi will be installed in 12 unaccompanied housing barracks at Naval Station Norfolk, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. The 12 barracks house roughly 4,000 sailors, said Katie Hewett, spokesperson for Navy Region Mid-Atlantic.
The rollout was announced Thursday at Naval Station Norfolk’s Willis Manor building, one of the barracks that will be equipped with the internet service. Other barracks to get Wi-Fi include buildings at Enterprise Hall, Intrepid Hall, Constellation Hall, Independence Hall, Groshong Hall, Schamberger Hall, Penn Hall and Mayo Hall, all at Naval Station Norfolk; buildings No. 282 and No. 288 at the medical center; and building No. 1585 at the shipyard.
“The Wi-Fi pilot supports the sailors holistically, taking into account their social and entertainment needs, professional training requirements, and career progression goals,” Hewett said.
The Navy began working in May…
