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Google has been planning to deliver Internet to remote regions of the world with the help of satellites for a long time now and the signs of this endeavor were clear as the summer sky: Google bought drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace and recently, news said the tech giant was in talks to purchase the satellite manufacturer Skybox Imaging.
Now the latest reports show that Google plans to deliver Internet to remote regions with the help of no less than
180 small high-capacity satellites that will orbit the earth at lower altitudes than normal satellites
according to “people familiar with the project” quoted by Forbes Magazine. This business might cost Google something along the lines of $1 billion, and up to $3 billion, if everything goes according to plan. Forbes also mentions that
This isn’t Google’s first attempt at connecting remote parts of the world, last year’s Project Loon saw Google launch 30 balloons that offer 3G-like speeds in areas of New Zealand that have no internet connection. This unconfirmed satellite project is the likely extension of Project Loon.
Google officials didn’t confirm nor denied the news, but they talked about Google’s plan to bring Internet into the homes of people living in isolated areas:
Internet connectivity significantly improves people’s lives. Yet two thirds of the world have no access at all,” said a Google spokesman via email. “It’s why we’re so focused on new technologies-from Project Loon to Titan Aerospace-that have the potential to bring hundreds of millions more people online in the coming years.
Looking at this from afar, one cannot feel but overwhelmed with Google’s altruism and good will towards mankind. But knowing that Google, as altruistic as it may be, also has some very high corporate interests, it is easy to understand that the more people have access to the Internet, the more sources of revenue will enter the tech giant’s portfolio.
Google is in a steep competition with Facebook, which also plans to bring Internet down from the sky directly to peoples’ homes. Facebook wants to deliver affordable Internet access to people all over the world and is not wasting any time. It works with experts from NASA, and it runs its program via its Connectivity Lab. The company also purchased UK-based solar-powered drone company Ascenta, after Google stole Titan Aerospace from under its nose.
Both companies hoarded experts from different companies and lines of work, all related with the scientific development of drones and satellites. Amazon also has big plans with commercial drones, but so far, the online store mogul didn’t announce any plans to connect the world’s jungles to the Internet. So far, Google plans to deliver Internet to remote regions and by the looks of it, it will succeed sooner than expected.
