in the digital divide is focused on bandwidth, yet most of the storage and computing power is controlled by 3 main companies and centralized infrastructure is very expensive. Also, most of the smartphones in developing countries are low-end smartphones with low internal memory and low processing power that accentuate the digital divide. Finally, lack of energy access is a huge problem, if you do not have electricity at home you cannot charge your phone and use it the way you want, also building storage and computing power solution require energy that is why at ARED we use renewable energy.

To solve this digital divide, ARED developed a mini-server platform to store digital applications closer to the users and minimize the cost of the internet, and we developed a solar kiosk platform to power the technology but also provide additional services such as phone charging to become a one-stop-shop platform. We spent 6 years developing the technology, and in 2020 we started piloting our technology in 6 African countries with local partners (Rwanda, Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Burkinafaso, and Ivory Coast). ARED mission is simple, eliminate the digital divide across the world by building a distributed infrastructure closer to the users to minimize the digital access for users.