Facebook already launched its Internet.org initiative to bring Internet access to underserved parts of the world and Google announced its Project Loon, which aims to do much of the same, but with a balloon-powered drone Internet system.
Now, Microsoft is turning up its own efforts a notch, announcing a fund to bring affordable Internet to underserved populations of the world. The way the fund will work is it will cultivate companies with Internet solutions to reach their business goals. The fund will be part of Microsoft's Affordable Access Initiative, which works to reduce the cost of Internet access and helps drives more people online.
"Today there are approximately 4 billion people globally without Internet access," Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development at Microsoft, said a statement about the fund. "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. Through this fund, we hope to kick-start the entrepreneurial process by identifying promising ideas that we can help nurture, grow and scale."
In order to qualify, applicants must be commercial organizations with two or more full-time employees and "have a prototype of a working solution and preferably paying customers," Microsoft says. All of its criteria can be found on its website, as Microsoft will be accepting applications until midnight PST on January 15.
Winning applications will be given approximately $75,000 in funding and free software/services.
Microsoft has already brought the Internet to more places around the world by deploying TV white spaces, a technology that repurposes television frequencies not being used locally to provide affordable and strong web access to entire communities.
In addition, the company has its 4Afrika Initiative, which engages the continent's economic development via affordable Internet access as well.
