Microsoft, under the new partnership, aims to deliver internet access to 10 million people around the globe, including 5 million across Africa.
Microsoft’s Airband initiative that aims to bridge the digital divide by providing accessible internet is now taking a leap forward. Microsoft has announced its partnership with Starlink-like satellite internet service providing company named Starlink.
Microsoft, under the new partnership, aims to deliver internet access to 10 million people around the globe, including 5 million across Africa. The collaboration is part of the company’s Airband initiative which was launched in 2017. It was launched with an aim to improve digital connectivity in rural areas across US, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Microsoft under the Airband initiative already has high-speed internet across more than 51 million people globally.
It partners with internet service providers, governments, public policy groups, and government to deploy affordable internet in these areas. This is the first time that Microsoft’s Airband initiative has an involvement of a satellite internet service company.
Of course, satellite internet in general comes with its own challenges and isn’t always reliable. The same is true for fixed wireless. Still, having access to the internet at all will likely be a big upgrade for many of the places that Microsoft and Viasat plan to roll connections out to by 2025.
