Google Station and Cisco have announced a new partnership. Together they want to set up a stable, public internet connection and bring it to a billion people from all over the world. The underlying idea is to stimulate the digital economy.
Both companies announced this last Sunday during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The project focuses on communities with little or no internet connection. The aim is to provide these communities with a secure, accessible, fast and reliable public network. In this way, they too can connect to the digital economy and take advantage of new opportunities.
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It’s not so long ago that dial-up was the only way to connect to the internet. However, developments in the Netherlands and other Western countries have been very rapid, with telecom providers gradually rolling out super-fast 5G networks. Many companies nowadays rely on a stable internet connection.
But where in the West this is a matter of course, in many other countries it is not yet the case. Some communities do not even have the basic infrastructure needed for a stable internet connection. As a result, these communities are unable to participate in the digital economy, which means that they are missing out on important opportunities.
This connection primarily changes the way in which companies and customers have contact, but it also enables new revenue models and new offerings. Google Station and Cisco see opportunities and therefore want to invest heavily in a public network that is available in less-favoured areas.
Scott Harrell, general manager of Cisco’s Enterprise Networking division, says his company is looking forward to working with Google Station, ISPs and governments to connect a billion people with new economic opportunities. By building a reliable public Wi-Fi network, the companies are removing the barriers that people still face.
This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.