Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) has introduced Project Link, a new fiber-based broadband initiative targeting Kampala, Uganda that it says will allow any local service provider or ISP to get access to higher speed metro network connections.
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(Source: Google) |
As an open access program, the network is currently available to connect local providers to long-distance fiber lines.
What the new program helps to address is the broadband divide in the country. While parts of the country have built undersea cables and new wireless networks, Google said it will be able to build metro fiber networks "in between these points."
Today, there are over a billion people in Africa, but only 16 percent of them are connected to the Internet.
"Project Link goes beyond basic access; it enables local providers to offer new mobile data plans or high-speed Internet for office buildings and universities, and support newer technologies as they come to market," Google said in a blog post. "For Kampala, we hope it's a foundation to support the needs of a new crop of entrepreneurs and innovators: the media-rich projects of a successful musician, fast connections for local hospitals, or new digital learning tools for students."
For more:
- see this blog post
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