Government that is transformative must bring technological innovation to citizens. Yet how can governments deliver meaningful impact through technology – whether improving education, giving people ownership of their health records or making resources more accessible – when one in three people globally has no access to the internet?
At the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI), we believe in delivering solutions that work for the ambitious governments we serve. We seek out the boldest innovators operating at the forefront of the sectors that governments care most about, so they can harness technology to reimagine how they deliver for their people. One key area is connectivity, a portfolio of partnerships that I manage.
Connectivity is often a priority area for our government partners because it is a baseline element in national digitalisation strategy. Through our work with Starlink, I’ve witnessed the impact bringing connectivity to underserved communities can have – and I’m passionate about convening innovators and policymakers to help drive this kind of technology-led change to improve people’s lives.
Finding the Right Solutions and Partners
In the connectivity space, TBI seeks out solutions that can secure reliable, high-speed internet at a competitive cost. These solutions should be globally scaled (or, with TBI’s support, have the potential to be) and adaptable to vastly different cultural and regulatory contexts. Our partnerships aren’t just about handing technology over to governments. Instead, we co-develop solutions with the private sector to ensure they can be implemented. We want to understand how technology can be adapted to work within a country’s policy and regulatory frameworks, how it can deliver solutions when governments are overstretched, under-resourced or under-skilled, and how these solutions can be financially sustainable. Harnessing technology in a way that makes lives easier and digital services more accessible requires addressing the full spectrum of challenges and risks, and often piloting proofs of concepts to test use cases with government.
PLAY
In early 2023, TBI’s Partnerships & Initiatives team, together with our technical experts, conducted a landscape analysis of the connectivity ecosystem to identify potential solutions for governments. The option that not only met technical specifications but also enabled citizens to get online as soon as possible was low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite internet. This involves a constellation of satellites orbiting close to the Earth (about 500km) to deliver broadband internet at latency speeds comparable to traditional fibre. The satellites communicate with ground stations or individual antennas to receive and transmit data, making this a straightforward solution, especially in difficult terrain or remote areas.
The ethos of our partnership platform at TBI is rooted in convening innovators and policymakers so that they can build something meaningful together. To learn more about satellite-internet use cases directly applicable to government, we launched several pilot projects with Starlink. A provider of reliable high-speed service, Starlink has more than 5,500 satellites in orbit and is investing heavily in coverage.
In working with Starlink, we’ve brokered new conversations across global information and communication technology ministries and helped governments better understand why LEO satellite internet should be on their menu of options for connectivity. Governments ask for cost-effective, reliable solutions and you can’t speak to immediate impact in global connectivity solutions without including satellite in the conversation, whether as a standalone solution or a complement to existing fibre infrastructure. The sector is growing rapidly and new providers are continuing to enter the market, bringing more opportunities for collaboration and competition.
Delivering Impact Through Pilot Projects
Since that landscape assessment in early 2023, TBI has catalysed five Starlink pilot projects across three countries, with an estimated direct and indirect impact on more than 50,000 citizens. These pilot projects not only jumpstart the delivery of national priorities but help us package learnings to better enable governments to build their connectivity strategy across sectors. Successfully implementing a solution at scale relies on understanding how it delivers on connectivity and fiscal goals, given the clear link between connectivity and economic growth.
When government seeks to solve a problem, it’s not unusual to wait years to see the impact of a policy change or new solution. What makes satellite connectivity unique is the immediate return. Installing satellite antennas is as simple as putting in a new light fixture, while logging on to the service dashboard is about as straightforward as signing up for an email address. While LEOs come with their own set of unique challenges, with no cables or lengthy planning periods necessary, these internet solutions are reframing how we view connectivity.
With our pilot projects almost a year old, I’ve been lucky to have a front-row seat as satellite internet has brought citizens new benefits and delivered undeniable impact. In Rwanda, students across the 50 schools we connected, in partnership with two government ministries, can now experience an immersive digital laboratory, learning the scientific method and how to dissect organisms virtually. In Malawi, hospitals and health clinics can better serve their patients – something that was particularly apparent in the wake of Cyclone Freddy. The collaboration between Malawi’s communications regulatory authority (MACRA), TBI and Starlink has enabled medical staff to share material centrally, get patients online for telemedicine appointments and access information to improve diagnoses.
TBI’s partnership solutions bring transformative technological change to the governments we serve across strategy, policy and delivery, and it’s why I’m proud to work on them. We believe that forging the path for change works better together – and that TBI can play a unique role facilitating these collaborations. In our team, harnessing solutions such as Starlink to improve government services is only the beginning. We are working diligently to bring a diverse portfolio of the best technology to government leaders, so that their bold ambitions can become reality.
Lead image: Getty