Project Complete! Broadband for All – Yap State FSM

Far out in the Pacific ocean, the Federated States of Micronesia are among the most geographically remote locations in the world. Connecting them is a challenge – the island of Yap did have an undersea cable connected to it in 2018, but for years it terminated at the base station without actually being connected to the island.

Local ISP iBoom! had connected to that base station and wanted to use it as backhaul to bring wireless broadband connectivity to the rest of Yap, as part of an ISIF Asia-supported project. Along the way they encountered numerous challenges – not the least of which was a pandemic – but in a way this made their team stronger. Unable to bring in outside expertise due to pandemic restrictions, they had to upskill locally.

Discover more on the project page.

Team members use a traditional canoe to offload satellite gear onto islands, to set up connectivity in locations where some residents previously hadn't even had phone connections.
Team members use a traditional canoe to offload satellite gear onto islands, to set up connectivity in locations where some residents previously hadn’t even had phone connections.