Satellite Internet is no longer a sci-fi concept, it’s a fast-evolving reality. Companies like Starlink (SpaceX) and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are launching massive constellations of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to provide high-speed connectivity across borders, deserts, oceans, and even conflict zones. The vision is compelling: universal Internet access, independent of traditional infrastructure. But with this […]
Tag: Internet access
Landlocked but not Mindlocked: Modernizing Mongolia from Mines to Minds – Kenneth Leung
*This article is originally published in the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory December 2024 Report. Bracing Transformations with Second-Wave Democracy As Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) Chairman Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene assumed his second prime ministership on July 5, 2024, he extended an invitation to opposition parties in his acceptance speech to form a “Joint Government” for bold reforms and […]
Connecting the Unconnected: Bridging the Digital Divide through Grassroot Initiatives in Sri Lanka and Women’s Empowerment in Nepal
The Digital Divide in Asia-Pacific: A Persistent Challenge The Asia-Pacific digital landscape features metropolises like Tokyo and Singapore with world-leading connectivity alongside vast unconnected rural territories, affecting half of the region’s 4.3 billion people. This disparity represents the greatest obstacle to inclusive development across APAC. Sri Lanka exemplifies the rural-urban divide with 80.6% rural population […]
From Texting Capital to Digital Inclusion: Addressing the Digital Poverty in the Philippines – Nattaya Jaratruangsaeng
The Philippines is a highly communication-dependent country, especially in comparison to other ASEAN nations. Since the late 1990s, it has held the title of being the “world’s texting capital” because of how often we use SMS services to communicate with our loved ones and friends in and out of the country. While time has allowed […]
From Ballots to Bytes: Tracing the Impact of Parliamentary Elections on Iran’s Digital Sphere – Hesam Norouzpour
*This article is originally published in the Asia Pacific Policy Observatory May 2024 Report. The recent legislative elections in Iran, held on March 1, 2024, concluded with results that largely met expectations. A key policy area anticipated to dominate the agenda of the newly elected legislative assembly is the governance of digital space. Iran’s approach to […]