Doha: According to the United Nations' telecommunications agency, only a third of people in the world's poorest countries have access to the internet. However, low-flying satellites could offer hope to millions of people, especially in isolated areas of Africa.
Microsoft and other tech giants have pledged to help populations held back by subpar Internet connectivity to "leapfrog" into an era of online connectivity.
Satellites are expected to play a key role in this effort as rival companies launch thousands of new generation transmitters into low Earth orbit.
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According to the International Telecommunication Union, only 36% of the 1.25 billion people living in the world's 46 poorest countries currently have Internet access. In contrast, in the European Union, access is available to more than 90% of people.
The ITU claimed that the "staggering international connectivity gap" had widened over the past ten years.
"You are getting left behind in the digital revolution," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told his leaders at a UN summit of least developed countries in Doha. The difference has been a major point of contention.
In some African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where only a quarter of the roughly 100 million people live there, the digital divide is particularly severe.
While major DRC cities such as Kinshasa have easy access to the internet, vast rural areas and areas rival rebel groups have been fighting for more than 20 years are digital wastelands.
The ITU claimed that the "staggering international connectivity gap" had widened over the past ten years.
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"You are getting left behind in the digital revolution," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told his leaders at a UN summit of least developed countries in Doha. The difference has been a major point of contention.
In some African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where only a quarter of the roughly 100 million people live there, the digital divide is particularly severe.
While major DRC cities such as Kinshasa have easy access to the internet, vast rural areas and areas rival rebel groups have been fighting for more than 20 years are digital wastelands.
Smith told AFP that the 20 million figure put out by Microsoft's team last year led Microsoft chairman Brad Smith to initially wonder "is this real?" But now he is convinced that it is possible.
He claimed that the cost of technology has come down significantly and will continue to do so in the future. "It helps explain how quickly we can scale it up to reach this size of population.
Africa has a chance to move ahead of other countries in terms of regulatory frameworks for things like wireless communications, he continued.
"We can reach a lot more people now than we could five, ten, or fifteen years ago with fixed-line technologies." Much of the available bandwidth for telecommunications and television has already been allocated by wealthy countries.
Because spectrum is not being used in Africa, it is available, and governments are moving quickly to add more people, according to Smith.
For the second segment of 20 million people, Microsoft is collaborating with Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a telecommunications specialist in Africa.
According to Smith, who said that "we are optimistic about what we believe digital technology can do for development," the internet is being provided to thousands of Africans in an effort to offer a private sector alternative to "foreign aid". and providing digital skills training.
However, the Microsoft CEO acknowledged that the private sector is "too underdeveloped and underinvested" in many LDC economies.
Although Liquid Intelligent claims to have 100,000 kilometers (62,000 mi) of land fiber across Africa, the company is also expanding its satellite network.
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Its deputy chief executive, Nick Rudnick, said satellite is often the only or most reliable technology for fast broadband that always works in hard-to-reach areas.