Project Link – Google connects Kampala (Uganda)

In June Google worked on the Loons Project in New Zealand to connect more people to the internet. The fact that still 61% worldwide don’t have access to the internet made Google move to a new country. Uganda!

Uganda’s capital Kampala is getting a fiber-optic network that makes it possible for the local internet providers to connect more people to the internet and each other.

Why is that a good thing?

The internet brings weird stuff right? Useless Flash-Games, Cat content, porn, memes and much more stuff for light entertainment. But besides that mind candy there are a lot of benefits, which I think are a really good cause to bring the Internet to Kampala. Today we use the internet for news, we communicate, organize and collaborate. Recent stats show that only 16% of the African population have access to the internet. So how can it be helpful for a country like Uganda?

Education

The internet provides a lot of documents and books, which can be used for research and studies. A fast fiber-optic network makes it possible to access the most recent data like photos and videos. This ensures that the students can work with more reliable and uncensored learning material.

Health sector

Big hospitals or other health facilities have to share patient data like magnetic resonance images of brains or knees. These can be big files, which requires a fast network.

Business sector

Google’s Project Link can help to grow new businesses, connect people and help the local economy to grow. A country like Uganda needs to develop in this direction With new businesses and ideas, new investors will come and the country will get the opportunity to grow. Which will create more job opportunities. New fields will be created, and require professionals, such as IT managers and online marketing consultant.

Read more about the Google Link Project here on the official Website.

Image by: Adam Jones – flickr.com (CC-BY-2.0)