Google investing up to $3bn in satellites to connect the world
GOOGLE is reportedly planning to spend up to $3bn (£1.8bn) in its push to bring internet access to unconnected parts of the world using a fleet of 180 low-orbit satellites.
The search giant is poised to spend between $1bn and $3bn on the project according to a report in The Wall Street Journal which said that the project was in the early planning stages.
Google declined to comment on the story’s details. However, the company told City A.M.: “Internet connectivity significantly improves people’s lives. Yet two thirds of the world have no access at all. 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.”
Project Loon, revealed last June, is a plan to send high-altitude balloons into the atmosphere to spread mobile broadband in remote regions. Titan Aerospace was acquired by Google in April and makes solar-powered drones that offer similar capabilities.