Inspenet, May 17, 2023
Microsoft announced this week that it will provide high-speed internet access to 18 million people in Guatemala, Chile, Brazil and Colombia by 2025, through the Airband Initiative.
“Only 37% of Latin Americans in rural areas have connectivity options, compared to 71% of the urban population,” said Vickie Robinson, general manager of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative, in a statement.
A step towards digital inclusion: Microsoft prioritizes connectivity in Guatemala, Chile, Brazil and Colombia
Robinson points out that Airband works with other companies and NGOs to connect these countries: with Wayfree in Guatemala; Digital Country Foundation in Chile; Brisanet in Brazil and Anditel in Colombia.
Regarding Brazil, high-speed Internet access will be extended to more than 11 million people.
In the case of Chile, “the program will focus on economic opportunities through the training and employment of local community members to maintain the new networks and provide Internet access to an additional million people by the end of 2025.”
Robinson points out that in Colombia an agreement was reached to connect more than 600,000 people in five years, and that objective has almost doubled.
“We are now expanding our partnership to cover an additional three million people by the end of 2025,” the Airband spokeswoman writes.
In Guatemala they also want to provide high-speed internet by the end of 2025 to three million people.
Airband also announced that it will partner with various agencies to offer these services to other African countries such as Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
“Today, many African nations are rising economic powerhouses, but in a continent with so many vast rural areas, providing connectivity can be challenging. On average, Africa has an Internet usage rate of 40%,” Robinson stresses.
Photo: ShutterStock
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