That is why Microsoft is reaffirming our commitment to global connectivity today at the Devex Conference on International Finance<\/a>. Through the new international track of the Airband Initiative, our goal is to extend internet access to 40 million unserved and underserved people around the globe by July 2022. We\u2019ll concentrate our efforts to areas with significant underserved populations \u2013 initially, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa \u2013 that also have regulatory interest in solving connectivity issues. Extending internet access to 40 million people around the world in the span of three years is a big task \u2013 but it\u2019s informed by our ongoing work in connectivity, experience with partners and engagement from development finance institutions.<\/p>\n In the past, we\u2019ve done this work on a project-by-project basis spanning across Africa, Latin America and Asia. In the U.S., we formalized our connectivity work in 2017 by launching the Airband Initiative<\/a>, with the goal of bringing broadband connectivity to 3 million people in rural America by July 2022, and today marks the formalization of the international work within the Initiative.<\/p>\n How the program will work<\/strong><\/p>\n Like our work in the U.S., our goal is to empower local partners who know their communities\u2019 geographies and needs to solve their community\u2019s last mile connectivity challenges. Experience has taught us that diverse challenges require diverse solutions. What works in one part of South Africa may not be a fit for Ghana. A wireless technology or a business model that is suitable for connecting customers in one location might not be suitable for connecting customers in another location. Bringing broadband access to the world\u2019s unserved communities will require much greater reliance on innovative technologies, regulatory approaches and business models. Our experience has shown us that a multi-stakeholder approach is needed to close the connectivity gap. While we might go faster alone, we go much farther together. For this reason, these programs seek to combine our and our partners\u2019 expertise and assets.<\/p>\n Airband International will rely on a four-part approach:<\/p>\n Early signs of success <\/strong><\/p>\n We know that new technologies like TVWS can be incredibly useful in meeting rural connectivity needs at an affordable price. However, regulatory frameworks in many parts of the world have not kept pace with innovation. We\u2019ve seen great progress from engagements to date. In Colombia<\/a>, as we started our work to create a long-term solution for the Meta region, we sat down with the national spectrum regulator to understand the region\u2019s needs, existing regulations and to determine any gaps. In Ghana<\/a>, we partnered with government officials to ensure strong regulations were in place to deploy long-term solutions such as TVWS.<\/p>\n Once these hurdles are removed, partners around the world are poised to move quickly and deliver big results. BLUETOWN<\/a> is a connectivity and digital content service provider committed to making broadband connectivity more accessible. With regulations in Ghana now permitting access to the TVWS, BLUETOWN is on a path to bring affordable broadband access to over 800,000 people living in the rural eastern part of Ghana who were previously underserved.<\/p>\n These large-scale gains in connectivity are not limited to smaller countries, nor does it stop at connectivity alone. In Colombia, with coffee company Lavazza<\/a>, ALO partners, Makaia<\/a> and Microsoft\u2019s support, a small project connected two schools and five farms to broadband via TVWS technology \u2013 perfect technology for the region\u2019s jungled and mountainous terrain. It has continued to grow, and now includes an agreement between Lavazza, Microsoft and the National Coffee Growers Association of Colombia that will result in the rural digital transformation for half a million small coffee farmers in the region. Additionally, Airband has co-invested with ISPs in Colombia to extend broadband access to 6 million rural Colombians \u2013 that\u2019s 12% of Colombia\u2019s total population.<\/p>\n\n
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