Microsoft to expand Airband Initiative to Latin America and Africa

Microsoft announced that its Airband Initiative that was first launched in 2017 in the U.S.  

in order to improve access to high-speed Internet will be expanded to rural and remote areas in Latin America and Sub – Saharan Africa. The Initiative aims to connect around 40 million individuals by 2022 to affordable and reliable Internet by working with local Internet service providers (ISPs) and communities. In addition, the project plans to remove regulatory obstacles to TV White Space technology (TVWS) which can help deliver internet access at affordable prices to larger areas. In a blog post titled ‘The path to prosperity through access to high-speed Internet’ where the expansion was revealed, Microsoft’s Head of Technology Shelly McKinley highlighted that a ‘multistakeholder approach is needed to close the connectivity gap’.