Aurora Insight and Geeks Without Frontiers Announce New Partnership to Help Close the Digital Divide

AURORA INSIGHT AND GEEKS WITHOUT FRONTIERS PARTNER TOGETHER TO HELP CLOSE THE DIGITAL DIVIDE FOR RURAL AREAS ACROSS THE GLOBE

Aurora Insight, a business analytics company for the wireless industry, has announced a new partnership with Geeks Without Frontiers, an award-winning non-profit seeking to bridge the digital divide and bring internet connectivity to unconnected or underserved communities around the world.

Together, Aurora Insight and Geeks Without Frontiers will work to provide accurate and timely maps of wireless network transmitters, plus network coverage and coverage gaps. The maps will be targeting unconnected and under prioritized areas throughout the world, and they will also reveal the technologies deployed — whether 2G, 3G, LTE, or 5G. Aurora Insight will utilize unique sensing and data collection methods by attaching proprietary RF sensors to aircraft and flying over areas that are often unreachable by drive testing. Aurora Insight applies advanced processing algorithms to accurately geolocate each wireless network transmitter and derive information about spectrum use, technologies deployed, and coverage.

These maps will serve as a critical first step to audit the status of wireless connectivity in underserved areas, and then determine where additional transmitters are needed to increase these populations’ access to connectivity. Geeks Without Frontiers will play an essential role in the projects by coordinating regulatory efforts and using data to advocate for these underserved areas across private and public sectors.

Regarding the partnership, Aurora Insight’s CEO Jennifer Alvarez said, “Partnering with Geeks Without Frontiers was an obvious choice because our company missions align on so many levels. At Aurora Insight, we believe that access to wireless connectivity is no longer a luxury but a necessity. We are grateful for this opportunity to help map rural wireless network deployments, and we hope these projects will have a lasting impact for years to come.”

“We were impressed by Aurora Insight’s rapid and cost-effective approach to mapping, especially in remote communities,” added David Hartshorn, CEO of Geeks Without Frontiers. “This partnership will help solve two major problems impacting efforts to bridge the digital divide throughout the world today: In some cases there is no availability of mapping data, and in other cases there is ‘data’ available, but it is inaccurate and often results in flawed decisions regarding which communities should be prioritized for broadband deployments. We aim to help fix both problems and are inviting other partners to join us in this collaboration.”

To learn more about Geeks without Frontiers, visit their website at www.http://geekswf.org/
To learn more about Aurora Insight, visit www.aurorainsight.com

CONTACT: Elizabeth Stacks — elizabeth@aurorainsight.com