Through the Microsoft Airband Initiative, Viasat and Microsoft are working together to increase global and African internet access. This is the first international cooperation for Microsoft's Airband Initiative, which aims to provide internet access to a quarter of a billion people worldwide by the end of 2025.

The collaboration and technology testing between the two businesses using fixed wireless and satellites in geostationary orbit and low-earth orbit was revealed on Wednesday. They will seek to provide 10 million people with internet access, including 5 million in Africa. 

This is the first time, according to Microsoft, that it will use satellite communication to increase internet access. Through this partnership, Airband will be made available in Egypt, Senegal, and Angola in addition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States, where it now operates. 

The businesses claimed that this connectivity will benefit telemedicine, education, precision farming, sustainable energy, and other services. According to Teresa Hutson, vice president of technology and corporate responsibility at Microsoft, 'We think that access to the internet is a fundamental right and that digital skills produce and allow economic prosperity for people, organisations, and governments.'

 We will deploy satellite technology in collaboration with Viasat to reach remote locations that previously had few, if any, alternatives for conventional access. Together, we will be able to develop and grow Airband's reach quickly while looking into a larger project pipeline and additional nations where we haven't yet worked.

Microsoft started the Airband initiative in 2017 and collaborates with governmental and nongovernmental groups, as well as local and regional internet and energy access providers, telecom equipment manufacturers, and nonprofits. The business stressed that it collaborates with regional partners to consider 'holistically' what solutions are most effective for a certain area. 

According to Microsoft, more than 51 million individuals now have access to high-speed internet, including over 4 million in rural areas of the United States and 47 million outside of it. The satellite provider praised Microsoft's satellite investment.