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Closing the rural broadband gap
Many rural areas lack broadband access, limiting their ability to thrive in a digital economy. The Airband Initiative brings affordable broadband access to everyone.
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Broadband for better agriculture
Airband works with FarmBeats to connect farmers to the power of AI and the Microsoft Cloud using broadband. The results: higher yields, lower costs, and better decisions.
Our mission
We partner with equipment makers, internet and energy access providers, and local entrepreneurs to make affordable broadband access a reality for communities around the world.
Eliminating the US rural broadband gap
Microsoft has developed a strategic approach that brings together private and public-sector organizations to help address the needs of millions of people who live in rural America and lack access to broadband.
Closing the global digital divide
99 percent of the unconnected are in markets outside the United States, and most of those people are in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Learn how we are working with partners in Kenya to improve rural productivity and livelihood in communities that would otherwise not have access to these technological opportunities.
Our partners around the world
Featured projects
United States
RTO Wireless leverages innovative techniques and technologies, including TV white spaces and automated aerostat super towers, to deliver fixed and mobile broadband services to rural customers on a wholesale and retail basis.
California
Cal.net, Inc. is leveraging the latest technologies, including TV white spaces, to provide broadband access to over 41,000 rural customers across the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Ghana
In Eastern Ghana, Bluetown is delivering affordable broadband to over 800,000 people in rural areas. Using technologies like TV white spaces, Bluetown is enabling local businesses and schools to access digital services.
India
Veriown brings Internet-connect solar energy to areas without access to a power grid. Using technology that provides electricity and internet through a single device, Veriown provides communities with access to online education and commerce.
Kenya
Using low-cost technologies, Mawingu Networks connects people to the internet for as little as one dollar per month. Lower infrastructure costs make it more affordable for people to access the internet and participate in the digital economy.
Partnerships
Elimination of the broadband gap requires deployment of low-cost technology at scale. We support businesses working to increase internet and energy access and make it more affordable. Partnerships include co-investment and access to resources like technology, digital skills, and reseller programs.
In the news
Learn more about the Microsoft Airband Initiative and explore the latest news and updates.
Working together to bring connectivity to military Veterans
Microsoft is expanding its work with Veterans Affairs to bring broadband access, digital skills training, and telehealth services to Veterans living in rural areas.
Stepping up our efforts to close the rural broadband gap
With the early progress of the Airband Initiative, we are raising our goal. We will now work to extend broadband access to 3 million Americans in rural areas by July 2022.
Native Network and Microsoft bringing internet to tribal areas
The two companies will team up to provide reliable internet access to more than 70,000 people, as well as tribal communities in Montana and Washington.
Teaming up to lower the cost of TV White Space solutions
Redline Communications is partnering with Microsoft to help make broadband more affordable and accessible for unserved areas in the rural United States and across the global.
Contact us
Please contact us if you have questions about the Microsoft Airband Initiative.
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