A TV white spaces pilot project has gone live in Limpopo, with five schools connected to the Internet for the first time.
The Microsoft pilot was completed four weeks ago, with teachers and learners getting access to the Internet and PCs for the first time ever.
The project is part of Microsoft’s drive to get technology into schools and to improve education.
Microsoft’s director: technology policy Paul Garnett explains that TV white spaces
The technology takes short range connectivity and makes it long range, but maintaining the low cost and low power requirements.
“We have been on a 12-year journey with this,” says Garnett. “The idea of taking what is traditionally hardware and put it into software so it can be wireless.
“Now the technology is commercialised and we can start doing deployments.”
The company earmarked the technology as appropriate for emerging markets.
“Today Microsoft is in partnership with USPs and government departments to deploy networks in real use cases.”
There are currently projects on the go in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa, with other countries on the cards.
“Education is a focus, as is universal access,” Garnet says.
Today’s launch brings connectivity to 5 000 learners who didn’t have it before, he adds.
Garnett points out that there are three kinds of innovation at play in the pilot: technology; regulatory; and business model innovations.
“The most interesting is the business model innovation. Can we find new ways for people to get access to the Internet,” he adds.
