The growth of the internet has been truly staggering over the last few decades. It may seem strange to many but as recently as 2005 only 36% of the Americas were considered internet users; Europe had slightly more with just over 48%, whilst other continents were not even in double digits. Notably Asia and Pacific (9%), the Arab States (8%) and Africa (2%).
Fast forward to more recent times and data from 2019 onwards shows the internet as a commonplace utility to many. In the Americas, just over 70% of the population are now internet users, and 82% in Europe.
However, in a substantial number of regions, the internet remains hard to access but increasingly, becoming more of a necessity. Even in well-known regions, internet access may be more limited than one would imagine. As of January 2021, 64% of the total population of South Africa are internet users, a 4.5% growth from January 2020 and we’ve seen that grow again to 70% in April 2022 (Statista, 2022). As of 2019, only 48% of the population in Asia and the Pacific are internet users, and around 28% in Africa.
Technology is the great democratiser, and the internet is the real backbone of the delivery mechanism.
The internet backbone allows connectivity of server solutions in datacentres and have seen major advancements worldwide. Boston is a leading technology platform provider and aims to bridge the gap in lesser serviced locations.
With 30 years of experience and an office in South Africa, Boston has been working closely with AMD to develop a plan of action for the Queenstown Education Foundation in partnership with Allied Business Solutions to:
- Connect underprivileged children to the network
- Open opportunities in the cyber landscape
- Enhance digital skills
The Queenstown Education Foundation has been an established and registered not-for-profit organisation since 2003 and facilitates ground-breaking collaborative efforts amongst a network of diverse schools in Komani.
Reducing poverty is at the top of their list and they aim to do this by delivering extra-curricular educational programmes and bursaries to expand their knowledge in the digital world: coding, robotics, and 4IR.
As Elite Partners of AMD, Boston has made a meaningful difference to Queen’s College Boy’s High School, Queenstown Girl’s High School, Queenstown Get Ahead Project, Get Ahead College, Stanford Lake College, Balmoral Girl’s Primary School, and Queen’s College Boy’s Primary School.
Equal opportunities are the driving force behind our partnership with The Queenstown Education Foundation – we believe that everyone must have a chance to interact with technology and engage meaningfully for future work opportunities, inspiration, and entertainment. We are committed to customised solutions, connectivity, and continuous improvement. Teamed with our future-thinking partners like AMD, we aim to showcase the huge impact of our hardware solutions and emphasise the importance of receiving an education through secure platforms.
Savitri is one of our ‘Women in HPC’, and she is committed to supporting special projects like these that have a much deeper impact than most. “I knew this was going to be something special, I just didn’t realise how special” – Savitri Smit
How will The Queenstown Education Foundation continue to develop this plan to connect every school in Komani to the cloud?
Follow Boston IT Solutions Africa to keep up to date with Boston South Africa to find out more about the impacts of essential cyber training, and the more technical skill -driven workshops to support young entrepreneurial minds from an early beginning.
Contact Savitri Smit [email protected] to learn more about this exciting project.