Closing the Urban and Rural Digital Divide – A Satellite Industry Expert Perspective

Watch UN Broadband Commissioner and Intelsat Chief Executive Officer Stephen Spengler share his satellite industry expertise and unique perspective on how to close the urban and rural digital divide in this video from the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development:

Spengler says that with the right mix of partnership, investment, innovation and services, the private and public sectors can work together to quickly develop and implement flexible, cost-effective and even profitable solutions to close the global connectivity gap.

Even today, hundreds of millions of people in hard-to-reach and rural places around the world struggle to access basic broadband services. Space-based solutions are actively bringing connectivity services to more people in more places, and satellite network operators like Intelsat are working to play an even larger role in helping to close the global connectivity gap.

For example, Intelsat and Andesat are pioneering an innovative and cooperative business model to bring end-to-end mobile communications to remote communities across Peru; now, more than 100 rural communities there have gained life-changing broadband wireless access, and there are plans in place to bring access to hundreds more in the future.

While there is no simple answer or solution to this problem, one thing is certain: when communications companies, government policymakers and regulators, infrastructure services providers, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations all work together, the sky is the limit. At Intelsat, we believe the world is a better place when everyone, regardless of their location, has the resources they need to recognize their full potential.

Watch the video: Closing the Urban and Rural Digital Divide – A Satellite Industry Expert Perspective