Free Wi-Fi Beamed To Earth From Space

[nyor]

---

Coming Soon: Free Wi-Fi Beamed To Earth From Space

Imagine universal access to information, regardless of income, infrastructure, or geography! In a bid to improve access of information for those currently left out of the information revolution, a New York-based team is currently devising a network of 'free' Wi-Fi relayed to earth from 'tiny' satellites placed well above the earth. 'Outernet' might just be the future of how we could pursue Internet: allowing access to certain websites from anywhere in the world, completely free! Outernet, founded and currently led by Syed Karim, a University of Illinois graduate currently working for Digital News Ventures would allow access to websites like Wikipedia, Khan Academy, Coursera, Open Streetmap, Ubuntu, and blockchains for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. "Imagine 4-billion additional participants in the global marketplace of ideas. Imagine the avalanche of creativity, innovation, and invention. Imagine universal access to information, regardless of income, infrastructure, or geography," Outernet's website quotes. Under the project, Wi-Fi broadcasts would be beamed to earth from tiny satellites known as cubesats. These cubesats will be ferried into space on the back of International Space Station resupply missions. "Each satellite receives data streams from a network of ground stations and transmits that data in a continuous loop until new content is received," Outernet adds. The project will make use of UDP-based multicasting in order to reach the widest possible audience globally. The team is expected to commence the development of prototype satellites by June 2014, testing is expected beginning September. Further, the deployment of cubesats is expected to begin by June 2015. Outernet is currently accepting tax-deductable donations on its website for the project, also accepting donations in bitcoin and dogecoin.

Source: Coming Soon: Free Wi-Fi Beamed To Earth From Space
https://www.outernet.is/

[M.A.D.]

There was a crowdfunding campaign to buy a communications satellite but it was not able to reach the required amount before it was bought by another company. For this one to work they would have to saturate the LEO. If it can be cheaper than submarine cables then it is definitely much better.