Kacific Broadband Satellites Group and Microsoft have announced they are working together to bridge the digital divide in Asia Pacific. Over the coming two years, the partnership aims to provide internet access to 10 million individuals by connecting 750 rural education and healthcare institutions throughout the region.
The project is based in Singapore and will utilise high-powered Ka-band beams from the Kacific1 satellite to provide high-speed internet access to remote educational and healthcare facilities. The areas of focus include Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, and Timor-Leste. The institutions connected will serve as digital hubs for their communities, opening up new opportunities for residents and improving local services. The initiative is part of Microsoft’s wider Airband initiative, intended to address the world's digital divide.
The transformative effect of this initiative can already be seen. Palawan Baptist Hospital, a healthcare provider in the Philippines, previously struggled with unreliable and costly connectivity, causing issues with their online claims management. However, since connecting to this high-speed satellite internet service, the hospital has seen enhancements to its overall efficiency, a decrease in communication delays and a reduction in costs.
Reflecting on the improvement, Darren Jay Gacot, Head of Marketing, Communications & IT at Palawan Baptist Hospital comments, “Better internet access and streamlined communication for hospital transfers go hand in hand.”
According to Beatrice Mok, Kacific's Corporate Development Director, “These new sites will expand high-speed affordable internet usage in isolated communities. Kacific has the expertise and ecosystem, having installed community networks in the Pacific Islands with Guarantco, we are confident about working with Microsoft's Airband initiative in the countries we serve.”
Kacific’s strategy in bringing internet connectivity to developing countries focuses on connecting educational and healthcare facilities - an approach that supports their commitment to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals. "We look at the size of the community, its requirements for connectivity and what it can afford to ensure each site benefits as many people as possible in a sustainable manner," says Mok, adding that project locations have been carefully selected to provide maximum population coverage.
“We believe access to the internet is a fundamental right, enabling economic opportunity for people, businesses, and governments,” said Vickie Robinson, General Manager of Microsoft’s Airband Initiative. “Our new collaboration with Kacific utilises satellite technology to connect communities within the Asia Pacific region that previously had limited or no access to conventional connectivity. Strategic alliances, like with Kacific, play a pivotal role in advancing access to connectivity and digital equity, particularly in some of the world’s most critical markets.”
By bringing internet to some of the most isolated communities, this initiative is set to revolutionise key areas of service provision and quality of life, proving the transformative potential of technology when it is made accessible to all.