Google Invests In Broadband For Poorer Countries

[phronesis]

Source: http://news.slashdot.org/news/08/09/10/0249214.shtml

"According to the Financial Times, Google has announced their support for a new initiative called O3B to 'bring internet access to 3bn people in Africa and other emerging markets by launching at least 16 satellites to bring its services to the unconnected' by 2010. Coverage is available from Yahoo and the Wall Street Journal as well. 'The $750m project to connect mobile masts in a swath of countries within 45 degrees of the equator to fast broadband networks ... could bring the cost of bandwidth in such markets down by 95 per cent.' This will probably be the largest single investment in network infrastructure for developing countries in history. Google clearly wishes to use this project to enable broadband Internet access in developing regions, but many other things must be in place before that can happen, including fixed power infrastructure, PCs or OLPCs, technical support and skills, and useful content and services for areas with lower literacy."

[Centrino]

The Google broadband initiative is laudable but like you said, there's need for government in poorer countries like ours to provide a conducive environment for it. Presently, the power situation is not encouraging at all.

UK Prime minister, Gordon Brown, noting that only 45 percent of Uk households have access to broadband access, made it clear that for Britain to remain globally competitive, access to broadband in UK must be 100 per cent. He equally made it clear that government in the UK is not going to leave the initiative to the private sector alone.

Now if that is true of UK, a first world country, it means that for Nigeria to compete in the present knowledge-driven economy, broadband access is essential.

[proxious]

let me see the efficacy of it