Intel Corp., the undisputed king of computer chip making, has tapped the broad shoulders of a few heavyweights in its bid to take its wireless broadband dreams to various cities around the globe. According to one report, Intel has started a Digital Communities initiative that involves rolling out wireless broadband technology in thirteen communities in a way to make high-speed Internet access more accessible to more people. The effort, said Intel, includes help from companies such as IBM Corp., SAP AG and Dell Inc. And the plan also involves equipping governments with tools to enable mobile workers such as meter readers to more efficiently do their jobs. Philadelphia, one of the participating communities, has already announced plans to deploy Wi-Fi technology across a 135-sq-mile area, an effort to increase accessibility to high-speed Internet access. San Francisco has also committed to deploying Wi-Fi technology. A Yankee Group analyst quoted in one report noted that municipalities are very much interested in rolling out wireless broadband technology in an effort to lessen the so-called digital divide.
The BaaS model has been adopted across a wide range of industries due to its ability to streamline financial processes for non-banks and foster innovation. BaaS has several industry-specific use cases, where it creates new revenue streams. Banking as a Service (BaaS) is rapidly emerging as a growth market, allowing non-bank businesses to integrate banking services into their core products and online platforms. As defined by Juniper Research, BaaS is "the delivery and integration of digital banking services by licensed banks, directly into the products of non-banking businesses, commonly through the use of APIs." BaaS Market Development The core idea is that licensed banks can rent out their regulated financial infrastructure through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to third-party Fintechs and other interested companies. This enables those organizations to offer banking capabilities like payment processing, account management, and debit or credit card issuance without