Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative aims to democratise access to the Internet through grants, commercial partnerships, connecting new leaders and community engagement. The grants will help recipients scale their solutions and business models to increase affordable Internet access in communities around the world. Each company will receive seed grants, and resources including Microsoft BizSpark tools such as free software, services and technology support to help extend the reach of their hardware, applications, connectivity and power solutions.
Neil Dsouza, CEO and Founder, Zaya Learning Labs from India said: “Microsoft’s partnership will help us improve and scale up our ClassCloud product which will make world class education accessible and affordable to millions of students. Beyond the financial support, we will be able to use some of the cloud services offered to us to invest in machine learning and offer more personalised learning solutions to students who don’t have the opportunity to learn from a great teacher.”
Michael Ginguld, Director of Strategy and Operations, AirJaldi, from India said: “We’ll use the grant to build a network in rural Maharashtra proving hybrid TV white space (TVWS)/Wi-Fi networks’ ability to overcome obstacles to connectivity. We’ll enable telemedicine, education, finance and nature preservation applications, all becoming an integral part of a commercially viable network.”
Philip Zulueta, President and Founder, Wi-Fi Interactive Network from Philippines added: “By using TVWS to anchor the connectivity of our sponsored WiFi hotspots, we have strengthened our capabilities to bridge the world’s digital divide.”
Brimy Laksmana, Chief Executive Officer, Kelase from Indonesia stated: “Our partnership with Microsoft Affordable Access Initiative will drive our business to grow and continue to innovate in order to provide benefits to more schools, teachers, students and parents in accessing affordable technologies and high quality digital learning services and contents to reduce digital divide, improving skills and enhance learning quality.”
The news marks progress on the commitments Microsoft made earlier this year to invest US$1 billion to bring the power of cloud technology to serve the public good, including through expanding the availability of affordable broadband services, new commercial partnerships and expanded philanthropic programmes.
“With more than half of the world’s population lacking access to the Internet, connectivity is a global challenge that demands creative problem solving,” said Peggy Johnson, EVP of business development at Microsoft. “By using technology that’s available now and partnering with local entrepreneurs who understand the needs of their communities, our hope is to create sustainable solutions that will not only have impact today but also in the years to come.”
Grant recipients are already addressing a range of challenges that take advantage of last-mile access technologies such as TV white spaces, and their business models also demonstrate the ability to scale up and be market-sustained. Grant recipients are based across five continents in 11 countries, including in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In addition to financial support, grant recipients will have access to:
· A global network connecting social enterprises with peers and mentors to develop and share best practices
· Participation in annual immersive summits and monthly virtual touchpoints, alongside ongoing support from Microsoft’s Research and Development team.
To further empower people and organisations in communities benefitting from the AAI, Microsoft Philanthropies will make digital literacy, online safety and computer science education programmes from available through its global YouthSpark initiative, as well as cloud product donations and training for nonprofits.
Neil Dsouza, CEO and Founder, Zaya Learning Labs from India said: “Microsoft’s partnership will help us improve and scale up our ClassCloud product which will make world class education accessible and affordable to millions of students. Beyond the financial support, we will be able to use some of the cloud services offered to us to invest in machine learning and offer more personalised learning solutions to students who don’t have the opportunity to learn from a great teacher.”
Michael Ginguld, Director of Strategy and Operations, AirJaldi, from India said: “We’ll use the grant to build a network in rural Maharashtra proving hybrid TV white space (TVWS)/Wi-Fi networks’ ability to overcome obstacles to connectivity. We’ll enable telemedicine, education, finance and nature preservation applications, all becoming an integral part of a commercially viable network.”
Philip Zulueta, President and Founder, Wi-Fi Interactive Network from Philippines added: “By using TVWS to anchor the connectivity of our sponsored WiFi hotspots, we have strengthened our capabilities to bridge the world’s digital divide.”
Brimy Laksmana, Chief Executive Officer, Kelase from Indonesia stated: “Our partnership with Microsoft Affordable Access Initiative will drive our business to grow and continue to innovate in order to provide benefits to more schools, teachers, students and parents in accessing affordable technologies and high quality digital learning services and contents to reduce digital divide, improving skills and enhance learning quality.”
The news marks progress on the commitments Microsoft made earlier this year to invest US$1 billion to bring the power of cloud technology to serve the public good, including through expanding the availability of affordable broadband services, new commercial partnerships and expanded philanthropic programmes.
“With more than half of the world’s population lacking access to the Internet, connectivity is a global challenge that demands creative problem solving,” said Peggy Johnson, EVP of business development at Microsoft. “By using technology that’s available now and partnering with local entrepreneurs who understand the needs of their communities, our hope is to create sustainable solutions that will not only have impact today but also in the years to come.”
Grant recipients are already addressing a range of challenges that take advantage of last-mile access technologies such as TV white spaces, and their business models also demonstrate the ability to scale up and be market-sustained. Grant recipients are based across five continents in 11 countries, including in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In addition to financial support, grant recipients will have access to:
· A global network connecting social enterprises with peers and mentors to develop and share best practices
· Participation in annual immersive summits and monthly virtual touchpoints, alongside ongoing support from Microsoft’s Research and Development team.
To further empower people and organisations in communities benefitting from the AAI, Microsoft Philanthropies will make digital literacy, online safety and computer science education programmes from available through its global YouthSpark initiative, as well as cloud product donations and training for nonprofits.
No comments:
Post a Comment