Expanding Internet Access

The Problem

The internet is an integral part of the daily lives of nearly half of the world's population. We use it to shop, communicate, develop, and learn. Unfortunately, if nearly half of the world has internet, more than half does not. To be specific, around 56 percent of people didn't have access as of 2016. The issue is not just present outside of the U.S, either. In Detroit, Michigan, more than 40% of households have no internet, and a further 15% have only mobile data plans. Internationally, Niger, Ethiopia, Somalia, and several other African countries have far lower rates than even that.

Source: Strategy-Business.com

The Solution?

It doesn't need to be this way, though. There are and have been several efforts to bring internet access to under-equipped regions of the planet. Some have been arranged by non-profits, and some are funded by some of the planet's wealthiest individuals. Some involve orbital satellites, and some involve connecting local networks into a larger whole. It will likely be many more years before internet access is a universal privilege, but people all around the world are taking the first steps. Below you can find a listing of some past and present endeavors, and you can read about how successful they were (or were not).

• Mojo Networks distributing access points in India
• SpaceX's Starlink Project
• World Bank's internet investments