The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) initiative is led by the "father of the internet" Tim Berners-Lee.
Tech giants such as Facebook, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel and Google have decided to join forces to further spread the internet in developing countries. To this end, the companies have created the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), headed by Tim Berners-Lee, the "father of the internet" and founder of the World Wide Web Foundation.
The initiative was announced yesterday, with Tim Berners-Lee stating that the cost of connections remains extremely high in many developing countries, making web access prohibitive for many residents.
"In Mozambique, for example, a recent study showed that consuming 1 GB of data costs as much as two average monthly salaries," he said.
A4AI wants to contribute to achieving the United Nations goal of reducing the price of internet connections worldwide to 5% of the average wage. If this does not happen, the "father of the internet" noted, then the digital divide between developed and developing countries will continue to widen, exacerbating inequalities in education, health and science.
Currently, only 31% of residents in developing countries have access to the web, with this percentage reaching 77% in developed countries.
Source: portal.kathimerini.gr
