Microsoft and Viasat have announced a new partnership to help deliver Internet access to 10 million people around the globe, including 5 million across Africa.
Viasat, a global communications company, is the first satellite partner to work with Microsoft’s Airband Initiative and together they will deepen Airband’s work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Guatemala, Mexico and the United States, as well as prioritise expanding the program to Egypt, Senegal and Angola to deliver much-needed Internet connection, often for the first time.
This global partnership with Airband is an important step in reaching the Initiative’s expanded goal of delivering Internet access to a quarter of a billion people across the world, including 100 million people on the continent of Africa, by the end of 2025.
“We believe access to the Internet is a fundamental right and that digital skills create and enable economic prosperity for people, businesses and governments,” said Teresa Hutson, Microsoft’s Vice President of Technology and Corporate Responsibility. “Through our Airband Initiative we will extend high-speed Internet access to 100 million people on the continent of Africa and to a quarter of a billion people living in unserved and underserved areas across the world by 2025.”
Click below to share this article