Workers haul part of a fiber optic cable bringing internet connectivity to East Africa onto the shore in Mombasa, Kenya in 2009. Today, 4.4 billion people -- more than half of the population of the Earth -- remain without internet access. It's a problem that a number of organizations -- from Google to startups -- are trying to tackle using everything from balloons to drones.
Race to get humanity connected —
Workers haul part of a fiber optic cable bringing internet connectivity to East Africa onto the shore in Mombasa, Kenya in 2009. Today, 4.4 billion people -- more than half of the population of the Earth -- remain without internet access. It's a problem that a number of organizations -- from Google to startups -- are trying to tackle using everything from balloons to drones.
AFP/Getty Images
Project Loon is an initiative launched by Google in 2013, which aims to connect the planet by beaming internet signals from high-altitude balloons like this one floating above snow-covered peaks on New Zealand's South Island.
Project Loon —
Project Loon is an initiative launched by Google in 2013, which aims to connect the planet by beaming internet signals from high-altitude balloons like this one floating above snow-covered peaks on New Zealand's South Island.
Courtesy Google
Project Loon uses a network of high-altitude balloons that float in the stratosphere about 20 kilometers (11 miles) above the Earth -- twice the height that commercial jets fly at. The balloons are steered by ascending and descending to catch a ride on the stratosphere's strong, reliable weather systems.
High-altitude balloons —
Project Loon uses a network of high-altitude balloons that float in the stratosphere about 20 kilometers (11 miles) above the Earth -- twice the height that commercial jets fly at. The balloons are steered by ascending and descending to catch a ride on the stratosphere's strong, reliable weather systems.
Courtesy Google
The balloons communicate with specialized internet antennas on the ground, like this one being installed as part of a trial at a rural school in the state of Piaui in northeastern Brazil. Each balloon communicates with neighboring balloons and then back to a ground station connected to a local internet provider. The idea, Google says, is that this would create "a network in the sky."
Network in the sky —
The balloons communicate with specialized internet antennas on the ground, like this one being installed as part of a trial at a rural school in the state of Piaui in northeastern Brazil. Each balloon communicates with neighboring balloons and then back to a ground station connected to a local internet provider. The idea, Google says, is that this would create "a network in the sky."
In 2013, Facebook partnered with six other tech industry leaders including Ericsson and Qualcomm to launch <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Finternet.org%2F" target="_blank" target="_blank">Internet.org</a>, an organization dedicated to bringing the internet to the "world's population that doesn't have it." Pictured is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at the 2014 Internet.org summit.
'Malnourished minds': Why it matters that 4.4 billion people don't have access to the internet —
In 2013, Facebook partnered with six other tech industry leaders including Ericsson and Qualcomm to launch Internet.org, an organization dedicated to bringing the internet to the "world's population that doesn't have it." Pictured is Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg at the 2014 Internet.org summit.
AFP/Getty Images
One idea being developed by Facebook's Connectivity Lab is solar-powered, high-altitude aircraft (like the one in this graphical representation) that can be deployed for months to deliver internet connections. The drones would fly at 65,000 feet and, according to Facebook, would be able to " broadcast a powerful signal that covers a city-sized area of territory with a medium population density."
Solar-powered drones —
One idea being developed by Facebook's Connectivity Lab is solar-powered, high-altitude aircraft (like the one in this graphical representation) that can be deployed for months to deliver internet connections. The drones would fly at 65,000 feet and, according to Facebook, would be able to " broadcast a powerful signal that covers a city-sized area of territory with a medium population density."
Courtesy Facebook
Facebook's research shows that around 80-90% of the world's population lives in areas already covered by by 2G or 3G networks, usually urban or semi-urban areas where this infrastructure has been put in by mobile operators. "For most people, the obstacles to getting online are primarily economic," it adds. The remaining people often live in "some of the most remote places on Earth" so it is impractical to use the same infrastructure that you would in urban areas.
Economic obstacles —
Facebook's research shows that around 80-90% of the world's population lives in areas already covered by by 2G or 3G networks, usually urban or semi-urban areas where this infrastructure has been put in by mobile operators. "For most people, the obstacles to getting online are primarily economic," it adds. The remaining people often live in "some of the most remote places on Earth" so it is impractical to use the same infrastructure that you would in urban areas.
Courtesy Facebook
Pictured are satellite dishes in a telecommunications center near Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. In remote places with much lower populations than somewhere like Abdijan where the connectivity doesn't have to be so dense, Facebook is looking at using low-Earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites to beam the internet down over wide areas.
Beam from satellites —
Pictured are satellite dishes in a telecommunications center near Abidjan in the Ivory Coast. In remote places with much lower populations than somewhere like Abdijan where the connectivity doesn't have to be so dense, Facebook is looking at using low-Earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites to beam the internet down over wide areas.
AFP/Getty Images/Stringer
Outernet founder Syed Karim at TEDGlobal 2014. Outernet describes itself as "humanity's public library" and is aiming to get information from the internet to the world's unconnected. It works by saving information from websites like Wikipedia as digital files and broadcasting them down from satellites. Anyone with a receiver can access the information.
'Humanity's public library' —
Outernet founder Syed Karim at TEDGlobal 2014. Outernet describes itself as "humanity's public library" and is aiming to get information from the internet to the world's unconnected. It works by saving information from websites like Wikipedia as digital files and broadcasting them down from satellites. Anyone with a receiver can access the information.
Courtesy James Duncan Davidson/TED
Outernet has<a href="index.php?page=&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiegogo.com%2Fprojects%2Flantern-one-device-free-data-from-space-forever" target="_blank" target="_blank"> successfully crowdfunded</a> the money to fund their Lantern receiver, which continuously receives radio signals broadcast by Outernet from space and turns them into digital files. Any wifi-enabled device can connect to Lantern at a hotspot.
'Lantern' receiver —
Outernet has successfully crowdfunded the money to fund their Lantern receiver, which continuously receives radio signals broadcast by Outernet from space and turns them into digital files. Any wifi-enabled device can connect to Lantern at a hotspot.
Courtesy Outernet
BRCK is a self-powered, wifi device that was designed and prototyped in Kenya by the founders of real-time site Ushahidi. As the name would suggest, it is a rugged, brick-like device that they describe as "the internet's back up generator."
'Internet's back up generator' —
BRCK is a self-powered, wifi device that was designed and prototyped in Kenya by the founders of real-time site Ushahidi. As the name would suggest, it is a rugged, brick-like device that they describe as "the internet's back up generator."
Courtesy BRCK
Insert a 3G-enabled SIM card into a BRCK and it will broadcast a wifi signal to which up to 20 devices can connect. It is designed so be resistant to dust and being dropped and can be charged from a solar panel, car battery as well as a computer. The designers say it will work in 140 countries.
Rugged device —
Insert a 3G-enabled SIM card into a BRCK and it will broadcast a wifi signal to which up to 20 devices can connect. It is designed so be resistant to dust and being dropped and can be charged from a solar panel, car battery as well as a computer. The designers say it will work in 140 countries.
From BRCK