The Future of Internet Access: Satellites, Balloons, and Drones
A quick peek at internetlivestats.com reveals that approximately 40 percent of the world population has access to the Internet. If you look at this data optimistically, you could say that it is far more than the 1 percent in 1995. A pragmatic outlook would suggest that around 60 percent of the world is still devoid of the humongous benefits of the Internet. What are some of the big companies doing to solve this problem?
Microsoft recently announced that it will be providing free Internet access across India by utilizing the unused spectrum between two television channels, usually referred to as white space. At the moment, this spectrum is owned by the local government with whom Microsoft is urgently engaging to get the pilot running in the limited areas. This will help connect the far-flung areas in India to the Internet.
The visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk recently tweeted that his SpaceX venture is developing micro-satellites that will eventually help provide low-cost Internet access. Musk's endeavor is still in its early days, but more details are expected to emerge in the next few months.
Being an Internet-based company in the truest sense, how can Google be far behind in the race to provide Internet access to the rest of the world? Not so long ago, Google announced the launch of the ambitious Project Loon, signifying its plan to provide Internet access by launching a network of balloons towards the edge of space. The project is designed to connect the remotest areas to the Internet.
Any concerns of balloons interfering with air traffic aren't an issue, as the balloons are designed to launch into the stratosphere, which is almost twice as high as the zone in which most aircrafts fly. A Quora post by Google's product manager describes Project Loon's progress in terms of parameters, such as balloon flight time and steering, Internet connectivity, and partnerships. The post reveals that for all of these parameters, Project Loon has matured over the last year.
Earlier this year, Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook's Connectivity Lab, which will help drive its internet.org project. It also has an internet.org app that was launched in developing countries, which gives users free access to basic services—including Facebook, Google Search, Wikipedia, some job sites, and the Women's Human Rights app—and works in partnership with local network carriers. With the advent of Facebook's Connectivity Lab, Facebook plans to introduce the Internet to unconnected areas of earth by means of drones.
With these big corporate giants so focused on providing convenient, low-cost Internet access to the masses, the digital divide that the world is experiencing now could soon be a thing of the past. All of these companies may not have altruistic intentions in mind, and the increased user base and related revenue gains may be driving a lot of these investments. But in the end, it is a win-win situation for consumers as well as the technology world.
