Microsoft to fund internet access in Nigeria

Microsoft Corporation has unveiled plans to fund internet access in Nigeria by cultivating companies with solutions that bring afford­able Internet access to under­served markets.

The selected companies will receive cash awards along with free technology and mentorship from Microsoft to scale solutions that help close the digital divide

The fund is part of Microsoft’s Affordable Access Initiative, which invests in new last-mile access technologies, cloud-based services and applications, and business models that can reduce the cost of Internet access and help more people get online.

A statement from the said that the effort will give internet ac­cess to over four billion Nigeri­ans without Internet access add­ing that the ability to close that gap is more achievable than ever with technology that is readily available and affordable in many parts of the world.,

Executive Vice President of Business Development at Mi­crosoft Peggy Johnson said that through the fund, Microsoft hope to kick-start the entrepreneurial process by identifying promising ideas that it can help nurture, grow and scale.

Under its Affordable Access Initiative, Microsoft partners with Internet access providers and other public and private sec­tor entities on innovative and practical connectivity and ser­vices solutions designed to de­liver the greatest socio-economic impact to the greatest number of people.

Other efforts underway by Mi­crosoft include the deployment of TV white spaces technology, which repurposes TV frequen­cies not being used locally to pro­vide affordable, robust Internet access to entire communities. With its partners, Microsoft is currently deploying the technol­ogy in 17 countries and five con­tinents.

The software company is also actively engaging in Africa’s economic development to im­prove its global competitiveness through locally relevant innova­tion, affordable access and skills development.

Applicants for the fund must be commercial organisations with two or more full-time em­ployees and have a prototype of a working solution and preferably paying customers.