Accelerating opportunity: Connectivity at scale

In our September issue of Sustainably Speaking, we focused on a simple but important idea: without reliable access to clean water, energy, and the internet, communities can’t fully tap into education, healthcare, economic opportunity, or the growing AI economy. Through our partnerships, we’ve helped lay these important foundations, and in many regions, our key connectivity milestones have now been reached. 

This issue focuses on what comes next: making sure people have the tools, skills, and support to turn connectivity into real opportunities, like better jobs, stronger local businesses, and more reliable access to services.  

In communities around the world, opportunity often comes down to whether the basics like power and internet work when people need them. When a rural health clinic loses power, telehealth appointments disappear. When a farmer can't get a reliable signal, access to digital markets is out of reach. When a student’s device can't be charged, online learning stops.  

For us, the key word is reliability. Internet access needs to be reliable, support the right devices and skills, and connect people to essential services. When those pieces come together, connectivity can help small businesses grow, strengthen local services, and support economic growth that works for more people as AI use grows. Reaching that kind of impact depends on resilient infrastructure, trusted local operators, sustained investment, and long-term partnerships that keep value rooted in the communities they serve. 

To help bring this next phase to life, I’m proud to spotlight three Microsoft partners who are helping to drive this work forward: Sylvia Jaramillo of Anditel, Hardy Pemhiwa of Cassava Technologies, and Megan Steckly of Compudopt.  

Anditel, Cassava Technologies, and Compudopt are each advancing a different but complementary part of the equation. From expanding connectivity and clean energy in remote regions, to scaling locally governed digital infrastructure, to equipping families with the devices and skills, their work shows how infrastructure, local investment, and digital capability move together to turn access into lasting economic participation in the AI economy. 

Anditel  

In Colombia’s most remote regions, building reliable infrastructure requires sustained local investment alongside social technological appropriation. In places where geography has long limited access, Anditel has helped connect and power 14,000+ rural schools and 38 municipalities across the Amazon, Orinoquia, and Pacific regions to the country’s largest wireless network—extending last-mile coverage across 70% of the national territory. Through our partnership with Microsoft, that work now includes solar-powered nano grids in rural Colombia that replace diesel generation, delivering clean energy and reliable internet so communities can power schools, businesses, and public services more sustainably. 

Cassava 

Connectivity may open the door, but we don’t think it’s the finish line. Across Africa, Cassava operates more than 110,000 kilometers of fiber and one of the continent’s largest carrier- and cloud-neutral datacenter platforms—supporting enterprises, governments, and millions of users who rely on digital services every day. As we’ve seen demand for AI and cloud services grow in Africa, that foundation matters even more. By building secure, locally governed cloud and AI capabilities in partnership with Microsoft, we are helping ensure that data, value creation, and skilled jobs remain closer to the communities they serve. 

Compudopt 

For many families, the digital divide starts at home, and so does the opportunity to close it. Access to a device at home can mean a completed assignment, a new job application, and access to a wealth of content and knowledge otherwise beyond reach. At Compudopt, we've spent more than a decade working to make this possible by reconditioning donated computers and getting them into the hands of people who need them most, while pairing those devices with affordable internet, hands-on training, and ongoing support. Through collaboration with Microsoft, we are also working to help drive down the cost of internet access and expand more affordable connectivity offerings for the communities we serve. Our partnership with Microsoft’s TechSpark Fellows program is allowing us to scale this work even further, while exploring how AI can make the learning that follows more personalized, lasting, and transformative. 

How does internet access work? 

If you’ve ever wondered why internet connection strength and reliability can feel different from place to place, in most cases, the difference lies in how the signal reaches your device. 

Many internet technologies depend on physical infrastructure. Fiber optic and other wired broadband networks send data through cables that connect homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals to the internet. In areas where this infrastructure has been built and maintained, these networks can deliver fast, reliable, high-capacity connections. 

Other technologies rely on wireless links. Satellite internet, for example, sends signals between a dish on the ground and satellites in orbit that connect back to the global internet. For many years, this relied on geostationary orbit (GEO) satellites, providing wide coverage across large geographic areas. More recently, new low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems operate much closer to the planet and use constellations of satellites working together to deliver connectivity. 

Recent advances in these technologies are giving communities around the world more ways to get online. New satellite systems are improving performance, while innovations in network equipment and construction are lowering the cost of building and maintaining networks. In practice, expanding internet access often means combining approaches. Wired networks, satellite systems, and other wireless solutions work together to deliver reliable and affordable connectivity, wherever people live and work. 

• As AI becomes more common in everyday work, Microsoft’s AI Skills Navigator offers an easy entry point. The tool asks users about their role, experience level, and goals, then suggests personalized learning recommendations. Users can explore role-specific tracks, filter by skill level, and learn at their own pace. Pulling from both Microsoft’s own training resources and partner content, the Navigator creates structured paths to meet learners where they are. 

• The goal is to lower barriers to AI adoption across industries and present AI skills as practical and achievable. This helps more people build confidence and participate in a changing workforce. 

• Over time, broader participation can support more inclusive economic growth and help ensure the benefits of AI innovation reach regions, communities, and sectors. 

In 2022, we set out to expand internet access to 250 million people by the end of 2025. We have surpassed that goal—extending connectivity coverage to more than 299 million people worldwide, including over 124 million across Africa. 

• Gnilane works as a cleaner in an office complex in Senegal. After learning about Microsoft-supported connectivity services offered through WAW, a local internet service provider, she started helping people around her access affordable internet using Wi-Fi vouchers from her phone. Security guards, cleaners, drivers, and nearby businesses now rely on the service she helps provide. What began as a small effort to share connectivity has grown into a steady source of income for her while helping others in the community stay connected for work, communication, and opportunity. 

• Liliana is an Indigenous artisan in Inírida, a remote community in the Colombian Amazon where Microsoft’s partnership with Anditel is helping expand internet and energy access. With reliable connectivity and power now available, Liliana has been able to grow her craft business beyond local markets, reaching new customers and creating more stable income for her family. Digital access is helping her share traditions passed down through generations while preserving and promoting her community’s cultural heritage. 

• In Uganda, Kasagga, a car mechanic, working with Microsoft partner Sombha is using reliable internet access at his workshop to improve how he diagnoses and repairs vehicles. In the past, when customers brought in unfamiliar parts, he often relied on guesswork or would delay repairs while searching for information. With connectivity now available at his workshop, he can quickly research specifications and repair techniques online, allowing him to fix vehicles correctly the first time, work more efficiently, and increase his income while providing better service to his customers. 

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• Read about how we’re empowering communities to engage in the AI economy 
• Learn how we’re building sustainable and connected communities 
• Explore how we’re advancing sustainable water solutions