Posted on 12/14/22
| News Source: i24
The biggest holdup to internet access is the lack of electricity, which is not reliable for half of Africans
Microsoft announced plans Wednesday to bring internet access via satellite to 10 million people, half of them in Africa, as part of efforts to bridge a digital divide with the developing world.
At a summit with African leaders in Washington led by President Joe Biden, the technology leader said it would start the satellite project immediately with a priority on bringing internet for the first time to parts of Egypt, Senegal and Angola.
Microsoft president Brad Smith said that the company has been impressed by its engineers in Nairobi and Lagos.
In Africa, "there is no shortage of talent, but there is a huge shortage of opportunity," Smith told AFP.
In the partnership with satellite provider Viasat, Microsoft said it would also provide internet in Guatemala, Mexico and more remote parts of the United States and also step up efforts in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.