Digital Divide

Internet Under Siege: Cable Chaos, Satellite Surges & Digital Divide Drama (Sept 9–10, 2025)

Sources: Global news reports and press releases from Sept 9–10, 2025 (Reuters, Al Jazeera, Times of India, StateScoop, TS2 Space, and others) were used in compiling this roundup timesofindia.indiatimes.com aljazeera.com space.com reuters.com reuters.com prescottenews.com prescottenews.com prnewswire.com statescoop.com, along with statements from officials and industry leaders aljazeera.com aljazeera.com. Each development reflects the rapidly evolving landscape of global internet access – from physical infrastructure challenges and cutting-edge satellite deployments to the ongoing battles over digital rights and inclusion. The 48 hours of news around September 9–10, 2025, make one thing clear: the push to connect the world’s population continues to face both

10 September 2025

Internet Access in Togo: Surprising Stats and the Race to Connect a Nation

Overview of Internet Access in Togo Togo is a small West African nation making significant strides in digital connectivity. Internet usage has grown steadily over the past decade. By January 2024, 3.44 million Togolese were Internet users, about 37.6% of the population datareportal.com. This marks a substantial increase from just a few years prior (for example, in 2016, usage was roughly half of today’s level blog.google). Still, it means nearly 6 million people (62%) remain offline datareportal.com, indicating plenty of room for growth. The majority of non-users are in rural and low-income segments, constrained by coverage gaps, costs, and digital

6 September 2025

Africa · Connectivity · Digital Development · Internet Access · Togo

Papua New Guinea’s Internet Access Crisis: Sky-High Costs, Bold Plans, and a Digital Divide

Key Facts Overview: A Nation Still Largely Offline Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces an uphill battle in bringing internet access to its population, which is dispersed across difficult terrain and hundreds of islands. General internet penetration remains very low – only about 24.1% of the population were internet users at the start of 2025 datareportal.com datareportal.com. In other words, roughly three out of every four Papua New Guineans have never been online. This rate is starkly below the global average and even lags behind many neighboring Pacific Island countries. The total number of internet users was estimated at 2.57 million

5 September 2025

Connectivity · Digital Divide · Internet Access · Papua New Guinea · Technology Policy

Global Internet Access Shake-Up: Outages, Crackdowns, and a Race to Connect the Unconnected

Key Facts Infrastructure and Satellite Internet Developments Major investments in physical internet infrastructure were unveiled over the past 48 hours, spanning undersea cables and satellites. SpaceX completed its fourth Starlink launch from California in a month, lofting 24 satellites on August 29 to enhance coverage in polar regions. This bolsters SpaceX’s constellation of over 8,000 active satellites, which is already delivering broadband to dozens of countries. Rival project Kuiper – Amazon’s satellite internet network – is also accelerating: Amazon announced it expects to begin beta service by late 2025, after deploying its first 27 satellites in April and scheduling another launch

3 September 2025

Connectivity · Digital Divide · Global Issues · Internet · NASDAQ:AMZN · NASDAQ:META · NYSE:VZ · Technology

Uganda’s Internet Access Revolution: From Digital Divide to Digital Drive in 2025

Introduction Uganda’s internet landscape is a mix of rapid growth and persistent gaps. Over the past decade, the country has seen a boom in mobile phone usage and internet services, yet a majority of Ugandans remain offline due to infrastructure shortfalls, high costs, and socio-economic barriers. This report provides an in-depth look at the state of internet access in Uganda as of 2024–2025, covering penetration rates, service types (mobile, broadband, satellite), key providers, infrastructure developments, government policies, inclusion challenges, and the future outlook. All statistics are the most recent available – many from 2024 or early 2025 – to give

28 August 2025

Africa · Digital Divide · Internet · Technology · Uganda

From Sand to Signal: The Shocking Reality of Internet Access in the Sahara

The Sahara spans about 9 million square kilometers (3.6 million square miles) across North Africa and covers ten countries: Algeria, Mali, Niger, Chad, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia. A Trans-Saharan Fiber Backbone is under development to connect Algeria, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Tunisia along the Trans-Saharan Highway, tying inland towns to multiple submarine cable gateways, with Chad’s 559 km link from N’Djamena toward the Niger border nearly finished by late 2024. Chad obtained its first international fiber link in 2012 and today still has no nationwide fiber backbone connecting its towns. Only about 10–12% of Chadians have

18 August 2025

Africa · Digital Divide · Infrastructure · Internet · NYSE:ORAN · Technology

Internet Access in the Micronesian Region: Status, Challenges, and Outlook (2025)

The Micronesian region comprises the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Palau, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Kiribati. In 2010 the HANTRU-1 fiber cable reached Majuro and Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, branching from Pohnpei to FSM, marking the region’s first international fiber backbone. Palau connected to the SEA-US cable in 2017 and is slated to receive a second Echo cable spur by 2025 to boost redundancy. The East Micronesia Cable (EMC) project began in 2022 and is on track for completion by late 2025, linking Nauru, Tarawa, and Kosrae via FSM’s Pohnpei hub. SpaceX Starlink became available in 2022–23, with

2 August 2025

Connectivity · Internet · Micronesia · Regional Issues · Technology

Connecting São Tomé and Príncipe: Internet Access in 2025 – Infrastructure, Challenges, and Opportunities

As of January 2025, internet penetration stands at 61.5% of the population (about 146,000 online) with around 170,000 active mobile connections. The Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable landed in São Tomé in 2012–2013, with its final southern segment completed in 2021, increasing international bandwidth from about 50 Mbps to over 4,500 Mbps. CST accounts for about 95% of internet subscriptions, and Unitel STP entered the market in 2014 after a unified license granted in 2013 for $1.62 million. Unitel STP launched the first 4G LTE service in May 2023, and by 2025 4G is available in the capital

29 July 2025

Africa · Connectivity · Development · Infrastructure · Internet · NYSE:ORAN

America’s Internet Divide Exposed: The Truth About Access, Speed, and the Satellite Revolution

The BEAD program provides $42.45 billion in federal broadband funding administered by the NTIA to states to extend high-speed internet, with a 2025 policy shift to technology-neutral approaches that allow satellite solutions. The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a $30 per month subsidy and had about 18 million enrolled by 2023, with renewal funding uncertain in 2024–2025. As of May 2025, 95% of locations have 100/20 Mbps service available, leaving roughly 5% unserved. Fiber-to-the-home infrastructure was available in about 43–46% of U.S. areas in 2025, contributing to a national median download speed of about 242 Mbps by early 2024 (6th-fastest in

14 July 2025

Digital Divide · Internet · Satellite · Technology · United States

Turkey’s Digital Divide: Inside the State of Internet Access and Satellite Connectivity in 2025

Turkey’s fiber backbone length grew from about 425,000 km in 2020 to over 605,000 km by 2024. Fiber broadband subscribers reached around 8.1 million by 2024, and fiber accounted for about 39.4% of fixed broadband subscriptions at end-2024. Turkey’s 4.5G network, launched in 2016, provides nationwide coverage and had over 87 million 4.5G users by 2024. Commercial 5G has not launched as of 2025; a spectrum tender is planned for August 2025 with initial 5G service targeted to begin in 2026. Turkcell is the largest mobile operator with about 40.2% of mobile subscribers in Q1 2024 and about 45% of

10 July 2025

Connectivity · Digital Divide · Internet Access · NYSE:VOD · Technology · Turkey

Britain’s Broadband Battle: The Truth About Internet Access Across the UK (and Beyond!)

By 2025, about 99.8% of UK households are within reach of a decent broadband connection (≥10 Mbps). About 97–98% of UK households have an active internet subscription. In 2024, the average fixed broadband speed was around 157 Mbps, up from just over 50 Mbps in 2022. Gigabit-capable broadband is available to about 84% of UK premises as of January 2025. Full-fibre FTTP coverage has reached roughly 73–74% of premises as of January 2025. The fixed broadband market is led by BT Group with about 8.8 million broadband customers, Sky Broadband with about 5.8 million, and Virgin Media with around 5.74

26 June 2025

Infrastructure · Internet · Society · Technology · UK News

The Real Wi-Fight: Romania’s Race to Connect Every Corner of the Country

Romania’s first Internet connection was established in 1993 via ici.ro. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, urban residents built “rețele de cartier” by stringing Ethernet cables between buildings, helping the country leapfrog DSL. By 2020 Romania ranked third in the world for fastest fixed internet speeds, behind Singapore and Hong Kong. As of 2024, 88.6% of Romanian households had internet at home, with 92.5% of urban and 83.2% of rural households online. Fiber dominates the fixed network, with about 93% of localities passed by FTTH/B and about 93% of localities able to access gigabit speeds. Digi (RCS&RDS) had about

22 June 2025

Connectivity · Infrastructure · Internet · Romania · Technology