Google satellites could bring global Internet access
In the wake of “Project Loon”, Google is planning to invest over one billion dollar to bring internet access to the most remote places on Earth, by building a fleet of 180 satellites, which will be orbiting lower than the existing ones.
The initiative followed a series of recent hires in key technology fields, including O3b Networks LLC’s Greg Wyler, who is leading the project.
The 10-20 people team working on the project includes also other hires from satellite manufacturer Space Systems/Loral LLC, and reports to Craig Barratt, who in turns reports directly to Larry Page.
With last April’s acquisition of Titan Aerospace, Google has also looked into drone technology as a vehicle to bring broadband Internet to areas of the world where Internet access is non-existent, or severely curbed by local authorities. Facebook has also been investing in similar efforts.
TMF Associates’s Tim Farrar, a satellite consulting firm, expects Project Loon to be replaced by a combination of Titan drones and satellites.
The economic benefit of this project, if brought to fruition, would be considerable, when factoring in literally hundreds of millions of new Internet users.
When reached for comments by the Wall Street Journal, TelAstra Inc. CEO Roger Rusch cautioned against an overzealous investment into satellite technology, as he recounted past efforts from now bankrupt companies. Rusch added that Google’s initiative might end up costing the company as much as 20 times its current investment, including regulatory expenses and hurdles caused by governments who might not want Google’s satellites hovering their air space.
Teledesic’s Craig McCaw, in partnership with Microsoft, experimented with satellite technology in 2002, until the project was halted by lack of funding.
McCaw, just like Google, explored the possibility of adding drones to its fleet of satellites, as a way to offset the costs of putting them into orbit.
With that knowledge in mind, the cost of building satellites has declined considerably since 2002. The initial communication satellites made by Google weighed as much as 1500 pounds, but the company is working on smaller, high-power satellites with a gross weight up to 250 pounds.
“Project Loon” while cheaper to run, is not expected to provide the signal strength, nor the coverage that the combination of satellites and Titan drones can provide.
The estimated cost of putting 180 of the new Google satellites in orbit is expected to be in the neighborhood of $600 million.
Global Internet coverage has been in the plans for decades, but until now, due to economic and political factors, it’s been merely a “pipe dream”. This could change as Google is not the only tech giant to look into such possibility, with sufficient drive, money and ambition to make it happen.
We will (quite literally) be watching.