A few years ago, Microsoft launched the Airband Initiative project. The project was estimated to help as many as 2 million users in remote areas of the US. Now, Microsoft has made it official that they have collaborated with several companies like Watch Communication and Nextlink Internet to execute the project.
A few months back, earlier this year, the tech giant announced that the estimated number of peoples to benefit from the high-speed network plan has been raised from 2 million to 3 million in the US. Today, at Devex Conference on International Finance, Microsoft announced that the program will also be rolled out outside the US. Now, the company’s goal is to provide Internet services to 40 million people around the world by the year 2022.
The list of regions that are going to be covered by the Airband Initiative project includes Latin America and sub Saharan Africa. It should be noted that this is not the first time that Microsoft is using the vacancy in the TV band to promote the Internet in the above regions. It seems that the company is focused at filling the communication gap.
The Airband International project consists of four steps. The first step is to remove regulatory barriers to TV white space and other technologies to help corporate partners promote services faster in remote locations. The second step is to work with the local Internet service providers to offer affordable and reliable services.
Thirdly, to digitize remote areas and build energy supply networks to increase local productivity and living standards. The fourth and final step is to establish greater ecosystem support by stimulating international finance. Along with this, the company is also working hard to provide long term Internet projects for countries such as Colombia and Ghana.
