Bridging the Digital Divide: How Satellites Are Connecting Schools Around the World
Those of us living in the more developed regions of the world are able to take many things for granted: clean water, electricity, broadband, healthcare and education for example; but for many living in other regions, none of these are a given. Satellite can’t fix all those issues, but it can help bridge the digital divide and provide broadband, and along with it, access to telemedicine and education. For now, we’re focusing on education, and how satellite can, and is, providing an innovative and scalable solution for thousands of schools around the world.
These days, access to quality education increasingly depends on reliable internet connectivity. Yet for millions of children in remote areas, traditional broadband infrastructure remains out of reach. It’s simply too expensive to bring fiber to remote and/or rugged terrain. This is where satellite comes into its own, bringing high-speed internet directly to classrooms and empowering the next generation of students.
Satellite internet can be provided by both traditional geostationary satellites (GEOs), and by non-geostationary satellites (NGSOs), medium and low earth orbit (MEOs and LEOs). Due to the proliferation of low earth orbit satellites (LEOs), they are starting to dominate the school connectivity landscape. The associated economies of scale, serve to drive down the price, something that historically, without government subsidies, has been prohibitive.
Notable Initiatives Using Satellite Technology to Connect Schools
LEOs
As of 2023, OneWeb had partnered with several governments and organizations to provide connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, where millions of students have limited access to quality education due to lack of terrestrial infrastructure. In 2019 it partnered with Rwanda to launch “Icyerekezo”, meaning “vision” in Kinyarwanda. This name, chosen by students from Nkombo Island, symbolizes Rwanda’s commitment to using space technology to connect schools and communities previously left behind.
Rwanda has also partnered with Starlink to provide satellite internet to schools in remote locations; connecting them to online text books, remote tutoring and collaborative learning platforms.
In Ghana, the “Our Future Prize” foundation partnered with “Starlink for Good” to connect 30 schools in the Volta Region. This was a collaborative effort involving parent teacher associations, local councils and education funds. As well as supplying broadband for internet access, this program also provides access to a learning upgrade platform, which offers free courses in English, math and job skills. Ginhee Rancourt, founder of Our Future Prize stated: “Connectivity is not the end goal, it’s the foundation of empowerment.” It is important to note that Starlink for Good is not affiliated with SpaceX or Starlink. It is an informal network of Starlink equipment owners who voluntarily lend their equipment to humanitarian causes they deem to be worthy.
Although in the early stages of deployment, having only recently started to launch its constellation, Project Kuiper from Amazon, has indicated that it is interested in working with governments and NGOs to ensure that schools in remote regions benefit from its satellite network. Access to Amazon’s cloud-based resources, has the potential to bring additional benefits.
GEOs
The LEO constellations do not have a monopoly when it comes to connecting schools. SES, a major operator of GEO satellites, was one of the pioneers of remote learning. Working with local governments and non-profit organizations, it has several school connectivity projects in remote regions in The Philippines, Cambodia and Indonesia. In the Philippines, for example, in 2022, it partnered with ComClark, a local ICT company to simultaneously datacast education materials and curriculum to all participating schools in the country.
In June of this year, Intelsat, now part of SES, announced it was working with the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) to deliver high-speed internet connectivity to WPDI’s Community Learning Centers in war-torn South Sudan and Uganda. These centers will be equipped over the next three years, creating “digital bridges” to education for thousands of young people living in areas with little or no digital infrastructure. The WPDI was founded by the actor and UNESCO peace advocate Forest Whitacre, who commented: “Education is the foundation for peace. At WPDI, we use technology as a conduit to opportunity - bringing knowledge to young people whose lives have been upended by violence and political unrest. With the right tools, youths can reclaim their futures to become powerful agents of peace in their communities.”
Looking Ahead
These are just a few examples of where satellite is providing connectivity to schools. Most of them are located in emerging economies, but there are also other examples where satellite has been used to provide connectivity for education in develop economies, the US and Scotland for example.
As the LEO constellations continue to launch more satellites, increasing capacity and potentially further improving the economies of scale, the prospects for connecting schools in remote regions is starting to look bright.
It ought not to be forgotten, that the knock-on benefits of connected schools, go beyond the immediate impact of education. A better educated community will drive commerce and raise the standard of living for others in the community as well.
