Frequently Asked Questions

The 50x15 Foundation is a collaborative ecosystem of public and private entities organized to enable affordable Internet access and computing capability to 50 percent of the world’s population by 2015. 50x15 has already launched more than 30 learning labs in more than a dozen countries around the world.

The 50x15 Foundation’s mission is to accelerate worldwide digital inclusion rates to 50 percent of the world’s population by 2015, 15 years faster than the current growth rate.  Enabling affordable, sustainable and accessible Internet connectivity and computing capability in high-growth markets provides communities with the means to participate in and benefit from the global network of commercial and educational opportunity.
 

The United Nations estimates that by 2015 the global population will be approximately 7.2 billion people. Less than 25 percent of the world’s population has Internet access, so there is tremendous potential for 50x15 on a global scale to bring billions of people into the digital age.
 

50x15 was founded by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) as a corporate initiative launched during an event at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland in January 2004. AMD funded the initiative exclusively until 2009, when it created a new charter so other action-oriented thought leaders could help complete the 50x15 mission of 50 percent worldwide digital inclusion.

The 50x15 Foundation is now comprised of a collaborative ecosystem of public and private, local and global entities dedicated to accelerating digital inclusion around the world through affordable and sustainable Internet access and computing capability projects.
 

50x15 Foundation partners propose and approve projects that enable affordable Internet access and computing capability in high-growth markets and have repeatable, sustainable and scalable local impact.
 

50x15 facilitates sustainable technology solutions and establishes a value chain for repeatable and scalable connectivity in local markets.  50x15 accelerates worldwide digital inclusion by creating an ecosystem of power, connectivity, devices, financing, content, expertise and structural design.

At the World Economic Forum's 2005 annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, the organization's ITAFE (IT Access for Everyone) industry team delivered a groundbreaking "Global Benchmarking Study" that analyzed 50 digital inclusion initiatives from around the world and leveraged lessons learned from those efforts to present a new vision for success. This included a compelling argument that conditions for success of any IT effort must include development of basic infrastructure such as power and connectivity, software, training and support requirements, as well as financing. In laying out its vision, the report vividly illustrated that a reliance on technology alone to drive Internet penetration around the world virtually assures failure.
 

The goal of 50x15 is to enable affordable Internet access and computing capability in high-growth markets. Currently, 50x15 is committed to training and connecting communities throughout Africa, a 1 billion-person continent with just 54 million people connected to the Internet.

50x15 has launched more than 30 Learning Labs in more than a dozen countries, including emergency labs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ivan.
 

50x15 is designed to help create integrated, end-to-end ecosystems. This means focusing on the surrounding infrastructure, such as the availability of electrical power. Therefore, successful technology solutions are site-driven and innovative for individual geographies and needs. 

The technologies that people will use to access information and communicate 10 years from now will be radically different than what we use today. New technology approaches and platforms are needed to meet the unique requirements and economic limitations of high-growth markets. 50x15 is committed to driving this necessary evolution of technology at every level of the ecosystem.
 

50x15 is  about empowerment through economic growth. It places an emphasis on long-term business relationships as well as on technology and solutions. We approach worldwide digital inclusion with a solid business strategy focused heavily on building close relationships. We believe this is critical to economic success. The value creation is in the relationships forged between infrastructure providers, government institutions and the consumers themselves. The 50x15 business model is a customer-centric approach in which all parties stand to benefit greatly.
 

50x15 is committed to worldwide digital inclusion so everyone can participate in and benefit from the global network of commercial and educational opportunity. While 50x15’s work focuses on high-growth markets like Africa, its attention to geo-centric digital divides may include rural and low-income areas in the U.S. in the future. 50x15 has responded to timely needs in the United States after Hurricane Katrina, setting up labs in Austin, San Antonio and Houston, Texas, and Denver, Colo., to help hurricane victims reconnect and rebuild. 
 

No, it’s a way to enable billions more people to enjoy the same opportunity to participate in the global network. Commerce is a part of it, but inclusion, or access, is the driving force. These newly connected billions may indeed make money as a result. Facilitating sustainable technology solutions and training future entrepreneurs in high-growth and high-need markets improves the global network and economy even as it empowers local individuals and communities. We see technology as a great equalizer and enabler — we believe the next great wave of innovation could come from the fertile mind of a child in a developing country. Our world may never realize this benefit if that child is not provided the basic technology tools needed to unleash his or her potential to help change the world.
 

The benefit derived from connecting a larger share of the world's population to the Internet is profound. The technology people use to connect is important, but is only a means to an end. The solutions used in developed parts of the world simply will not apply in many high-growth markets. These challenging environments will require new ways of thinking, new ways of access, and a vision to overcome traditional obstacles. We will need to consider new types of hardware devices outside standard industry definitions . These devices will be designed specifically to provide basic computing functionality — including Internet access — at prices within reach of a majority of families in high-growth markets.
 

There are a number of companies, including many 50x15 partners, doing business in high-growth regions employing a strategy similar to 50x15.

The 50x15 Foundation does not provide grants to NGOs or other charitable organizations. We evaluate how to use technology in a way that creates sustainable business models and addresses the challenges we face in bridging the digital divide. If you have a proposal to partner with 50x15 on a specific project, please send it to getinvolved@50x15Foundation.org. 
 

The 50x15 business model is a customer-centric approach in which all parties stand to benefit. 50x15’s vision is that the development of new technologies will help empower people through all kinds of growth — from individual growth, entrepreneurship and enhanced education to economic growth through infrastructure development and job creation. Solutions developed through 50x15 will create economic opportunities by providing access to technology tools for people and drive local job growth in manufacturing and product design, service provision and infrastructure development, and related fields. The value comes from relationships forged between infrastructure providers, government institutions and the consumers themselves.
 

Facilitating sustainable technology solutions and training future entrepreneurs in high-growth and high-need markets improves the global network and economy even as it empowers local individuals and communities. Fostering digital inclusion  is good citizenship and good business. 50x15 partners are involved in the selection and approval of  each new project, its technology solutions and its sustainable business model.
 

50x15 is interested in partnering or collaborating with action-oriented thought leaders who can contribute to one or more of the areas of sustainable Internet connectivity: power, connectivity, devices, financing, content and expertise. We evaluate how to use technology in a way that creates sustainable business models and addresses the challenges we face in bridging the digital divide. If you have a proposal to partner with 50x15 on a specific project, or would like to make a donation, please send an email to getinvolved@50x15Foundation.org.
 

Currently, the regional service providers we are partnered with must meet minimum infrastructure requirements before they can offer 50x15 technologies or products to consumers. In some cases, we will leverage our ecosystem of partners to help improve infrastructure where possible. In other cases, it will require fresh thinking and new products that do not rely on a wired infrastructure to transfer data.

Literacy is essential to the success of 50x15. However, the ability to read and write is not a prerequisite for using the Internet. Indeed, the reverse is probably more likely true. Just as teachers have used books to teach reading and writing, educators and people around the world now also use the Internet to do the same. By definition, 50x15 will serve to help increase literacy in developing regions of the world.