Meta and the Internet Society have launched the Connectivity Co-Funding Initiative, a new project aimed at expanding affordable internet connections worldwide.
Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the initiative commits a $30 million investment through 2030 to support infrastructure development in communities that have been overlooked by commercial providers.
The initiative will fund projects designed to improve connectivity in underserved areas, with investments directed toward building locally owned networks, community-centered solutions, and training programs to enhance technical skills in marginalized regions. This effort builds on a longstanding partnership between Meta and the Internet Society, which has previously focused on developing internet exchange points (IXPs) in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America.
Sally Wentworth, President and CEO of the Internet Society, emphasized the importance of collective action. “This new Connectivity Co-Funding initiative, supported by Meta, is a prime example of collective action that will help provide meaningful access to more than 2 billion people across the world with insufficient or no Internet,” Wentworth said. She expressed hope that the initiative would play a pivotal role in bridging the digital divide and fostering a more equitable digital society.
Meta is the first partner in the initiative, and the Internet Society is now calling for additional partners to help grow the fund and extend its impact. The partnership underscores a commitment to leveraging private and non-profit collaboration to address global connectivity challenges and promote economic growth and social inclusion through improved access to the internet.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Elina Valtonen told the press that "the end of the conflict between Azerbaijan and...
Tensions between Georgia and Russia resurfaced this week after Moscow declared it sees “no preconditions” for renewing political dialogue, blaming...
Georgian Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili is participating in the 32nd OSCE Ministerial Council holding from 3rd to 5th December in Vienna....
Iran launched naval manoeuvre in its southern waters on Thursday as it concluded on the hosting the joint counter-terrorism drills of the Shanghai Coo...
Britain has imposed new sanctions on Russia, targeting the entire GRU military intelligence agency, which was highlighted in a UK public inquiry into ...
Australia will become the first country to ban social media accounts for users under 16 starting 10 December, with regulators tracking “migratory patterns” to stop teens shifting to other platforms, Communications Minister Anika Wells said on Wednesday (3 December).
Meta Platforms on Wednesday launched its first consumer-ready smart glasses with a built-in display, seeking to extend the momentum of its Ray-Ban line, one of the early consumer hits of the artificial intelligence (AI) era.
U.S. President Donald Trump will host more than two dozen technology and business leaders on Thursday for a dinner in the newly renovated White House Rose Garden, a White House official said.
Australia's internet safety regulator has criticised YouTube and Apple for failing to track or respond adequately to reports of child sexual abuse material on their platforms.
For nearly three decades following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the international system was defined by a singular, overwhelming reality: American unipolarity.
Chinese scientists have unveiled a new gene-editing therapy that they say could lead to a functional cure for HIV, making it one of the most promising developments in decades of global research.
As the year comes to an end, a new initiative bringing civil society actors and regional analysts from Armenia and Azerbaijan together is steadily gaining ground.
Faced with mounting public outrage following one of the deadliest environmental disasters in the nation’s recent history, the Indonesian government has pledged to investigate and potentially shut down mining operations found to have contributed to the catastrophic flooding on Sumatra.
Uzbekistan has reopened its border with Afghanistan for the first time since 2021, the country’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced on Tuesday.
A former Apple engineer has unveiled a new Chinese chip designed to compete directly with Apple’s Vision Pro headset.
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has introduced its newest model, DeepSeek-V3.2-Speciale, claiming it can perform some tasks as well as the latest models from Google DeepMind and OpenAI.
A new robotic system developed for the Czech Police is reshaping how complex investigations are carried out, bringing laboratory-level precision directly to crime scenes.
Chinese scientists say they are moving closer to building one of the world’s most powerful neutrino telescopes, an underwater array known as the Tropical Deep sea Neutrino Telescope, or TRIDENT, that will sit around 3,500 metres below the surface.
Russia’s state communications watchdog said it is tightening restrictions on WhatsApp, claiming the US-owned platform violates Russian law and is being used to facilitate criminal activity, according to comments carried by the Tass news agency.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment