August 27th, 2020, London and Gothenburg: Forsway, and AiStream today announced an innovative collaboration to bring content and critically needed connectivity to underserved communities around the world. Tapping AiStream Community Media Hub’s “edge” technology and Forsway’s hybrid Odin F-50 satellite broadband router, the partners are introducing a turn-key multicast content distribution solution to provide smart connectivity for bridging the digital divide in hard-to-reach regions with poor infrastructure and connectivity.

The joint OTT-in-a-box platform is relevant anywhere in the world where traditional fixed line and mobile infrastructures cannot reach content-hungry communities. The highly cost-efficient solution is easy to roll-out for service providers and fosters opportunity for rural communities providing critical access to community services, education, health, business possibilities, as well as entertainment.

The AiStream content and payments hub plug-and-play hotspot bundled with Forsway’s Odin F-50 satellite router seamlessly delivers a local wi-fi service. The platform stores protected content locally at the edge of the network enabling an end-user to download content for entertainment, educational materials, vital public health information and critical services without a data charge, solving multiple challenges in one robust solution.

“A community can access information and content at time of need irrespective of the affordability or presence of broadband infrastructure , says Peter Abbott, COO at AiStream. Opening these new digital markets provides major revenue opportunities for content partners and advertisers alike to reach previously unconnected eyeballs / audiences.”

“Forsway has a proven broadband solution that quickly can help deploy applications in regions we have not yet entered, says the AiStream COO and Founder.”

Forsway hybrid satellite broadband hardware and technology foster the most effective approach to extending broadband services, combining the benefits of satellite & terrestrial networks and eliminating the need for additional network infrastructure. AiStream and Forsway are together enabling deployment of SVOD services-at-scale for service providers without the requirement of a fixed or mobile network infrastructure.

-“3 billion people around the globe still cannot access reliable internet services or content due to infrastructure deficiencies,” says Tobias Forsell, CEO at Forsway. We are excited to partner with AiStream to help solve a critical socio-economic challenge by enabling connectivity for large populations in regions lacking connectivity and supporting service providers to tap new revenue streams. “

-“Our highly complementary expertise and technologies create significant customer value. AiStream digital media “edge” capabilities extend Forsway’s innovative portfolio of products and services designed to extend service providers’ and operators’ broadband reach in emerging markets.”

About AiStream
AiStream brings an on-demand solution for education, entertainment and public services in markets and communities around the world who have little or no access to the internet. The AiStream platform opens this community of over 3.6 billion people worldwide to content owners to monetize their offerings by delivering content via ‘On Grid/ Off Grid’ hubs at the very edge of the network. The edge wi-fi hub enables users to access and download content free of data charges. One experience-connected or unconnected.

All of the services available at the edge are available in the cloud providing a consistent user experience. As 4G/5G networks role out and bandwidth becomes available and affordable then AiStream communities will seamlessly integrate into the 5G edge ecosystem. Learn more at www.aistream.tv and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Forsway Scandinavia AB
Forsway’s highly innovative hybrid hardware and technology combine satellite with existing terrestrial technologies enabling broadband services for the large demographics of users in underserved markets lacking reliable internet access. Forsway’s unique solutions eliminate the need to deploy additional network infrastructure, creating significant time and cost savings for operators and service providers. The Forsway Xtend ecosystem is a complete toolkit and highly cost-effective hybrid satellite extension challenging the traditionally high cost of connecting hard-to-reach, underserved markets – rural areas in both emerging and established markets. Xtend is designed to remove the complexity of rolling-out satellite broadband to regions with limited infrastructure, and, monetize unused operator bandwidth. Learn more at www.forsway.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.