Low-cost satellite Internet for the poor

On June 25, the first four satellites in a cluster of 12 satellites are expected to set up an internet signaling system for people in remote areas in nearly 180 countries, launched into space. .

As part of a project called O3B , short for the phrase '3 billion others' in areas that are difficult to access the Internet around the world, the satellite has been put into orbit by boosters. Russia's Soyuz at France's Kourou space center in Guiana at 7:30 (GMT).

O3B Project President John Dick said: 'A life-changing journey has begun for many residents in remote areas with no internet connection in the world'. He also added that the O3B project will open a new and exciting world for billions of people, who so far have not enjoyed the benefits of connecting.

The project was inspired by the frustration of scientist Greg Wyler with Rwanda's telecommunications network when he traveled in the country in 2007. He came up with a plan to bypass the installation of facilities. Expensive infrastructure on the ground like conventional fiber or copper cable systems. Instead, a cluster of small satellites flying around the equator will be deployed as a signal relay on the space between users and the Internet through satellite disks.

Photo: extremetech.com

Such a system will have coverage from 45 degrees North latitude to 45 degrees, South latitude. That is, it will cover the entire African continent, most of Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands.

Currently, there are many geostationary satellites providing Internet services over space. However, people in difficult and poor areas cannot access these services due to the high cost.

A document from O3B Networks said that current types of geostationary satellites often operate at a height of about 36,000 kilometers above the Earth's surface, weighing between four and six tons and needing a lot of time. more to send a signal back to Earth.

The type of satellite used in the O3B project, built by Thales Alenia Space Group, a joint venture between France and Italy, operates at a height of over 8,000 km and weighs only 650kg. More importantly, they can transmit data to Earth four times faster than traditional geostationary satellites. In addition, only about 6 satellites of this type are sufficient to ensure permanent coverage. O3B Networks also said that O3B's service prices will be 30 to 50% lower than traditional satellite services.

This project has been invested by major corporations in the world such as Google, Liberty Global, SES satellite operating company, HSBC bank and South Asia Development Bank.

According to the original plan, the first four satellites will be launched into space on May 24, but the launch has been delayed due to bad weather. Arianespace, the company responsible for launching the satellite, said the next four satellites will be launched into orbit next week and the last four "backup" satellites will be launched early next year.