Google plans to spend more than $1bn on a fleet of 180 satellites to beam internet access to unconnected parts of the globe.
Google is planning to spend at least $1 billion on a fleet of satellites, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The goal of the project is to provide Internet access throughout the world.
The first step of the program will be to launch 180 high-capacity satellites. The report says that these small satellites will orbit the globe at a lower altitude than traditional devices.
Pending success of the initial efforts, Google may double the number of satellites later on. Costs could ultimately rise to $3 billion.
The project will use small, but high capacity low-Earth orbiting satellites that sit lower in the sky than traditional satellites, a report by the Wall Street Journal indicates.
The satellite venture will be an extension of Google’s Project Loon, which uses high-altitude balloons to carry internet signal across areas of New Zealand with the intention of establishing an uninterrupted internet signal around the 40th parallel of the Earth's southern hemisphere.
Reporting directly to Larry Page
Satellite-communications expert Greg Wyler, who founded specialist startup O3b Networks, is reportedly leading the new project for Google reporting directly to chief executive Larry Page with a team of about 20 people.
Google has been experimenting with helium balloons for internet access. A recent story from The Information also said that Google was exploring satellites as a way to deliver internet access, with evidence cited including Google’s recent hiring of Brian Holtz and Dave Bettinger, who come from companies that specialize in communication satellites.
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