O3b Networks has taken the wraps off a bold plan to launch a global satellite network capable of delivering high-speed Internet connectivity to people living in emerging markets, where the commercial deployment of fiber networks is neither economically viable nor practical.
Though a number of ambitious satellite initiatives have come and gone over the years without ever getting off the ground, O3b Networks does not appear to be just another broadband pipe dream. The United Kingdom-based startup already has the financial backing of the world’s largest banking group HSBC, international cable operator Liberty Media, and search-engine giant Google.
“We believe in O3b Networks’ model and its goal of expanding the reach of the Internet to users who currently have limited and expensive connection options, as it complements our mission of organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful,” said Larry Alder, product manager at Google’s Alternative Access Team.
The Other Three Billion
Rather than beaming broadband signals directly to homes and offices, the new system will focus on bulking up the intervening infrastructure known as the “Internet backbone.” The goal is to provide the “other three billion” (O3b) people living in the world’s emerging markets with the same broadband-access capabilities that residents of the developed nations currently take for granted.
Core transmission capacity is one of the most significant barriers to rolling out the high-speed infrastructure necessary for a developing country and its economy, noted Liberty Media CEO Michael Fries. “Using innovative modern satellite technology, O3b Networks will make fiber-quality connectivity available” throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East “without having to lay any fiber,” Fries explained.
Satellite manufacturer Thales Alenia Space says it has already begun construction work on the initial 16 satellites for the system, which can be further scaled through the launch of…