Is space the next frontier for the internet? The growing interest in providing internet access via Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites may seem out of this world, but in fact, the frontiers which are being pushed back are right here on the planet’s surface. Currently, close to 50% of the world’s population do not have effective (if any) access to the information superhighway. According to McKinsey, Elon Musk’s SpaceX got more than USD1.3 billion in funding in 2019 alone and investments are likely to increase dramatically as the high potential starts being realized. With SpaceX having already received half a million orders from end consumers since February 2021, the dynamism of the market is clear.
The new rollout of LEO satellite internet provision offers the potential to bring remote communities, which are isolated from the main terrestrial fiber data highways, online to join the global internet. These communities are struggling to run online businesses and to gain good access to the internet for schooling and tertiary education, as well as for modern digital services, like video and audio streaming due to the limitations of their current connectivity solutions. These often involve copper cable networks and at most geostationary satellite connectivity, resulting in internet speeds down to less than one megabit per second and latency (response time) as high as 400 milliseconds end-to-end.
This story is from the June 2021 edition of Voice and Data.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2021 edition of Voice and Data.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Navigating Social Media Risks With AI
Amidst the complexities of social media, harness the power of Al to protect privacy, enhance mental health, and combat misinformation effectively
V&D leadership forum explores the future of a connected world
The TLF was attended by 250+ technology and business decision-makers and policymakers across the communication and broadcasting sector
Data, chips, and India's AI mission
The Rs-10,372-crore initiative seeks to position the country as a global Al powerhouse, enhancing its capacity for research and innovation
Where jellyfishes work better than whales
Edge Distributed Computing is revolutionising Supercomputing, offering agility, cost-effectiveness, and real-time decision-making
The unexpected shift
Disillusioned from the Cloud, more organisations are now looking at cost-effective, secure prefab containerised Edge Data Centres for business agility
The Silicon game: Reaping 5G gold
In-built hardware can be a big amplifier for 5G adoption, reshaping connectivity paradigms and fuelling innovations in telecom, IoT, and beyond
New video streaming to shake up the data market
D2M technology paves the way for data-free video streaming, offering broader content access while potentially unsettling the telecom sector
Pathbreakers of the Year (2023)
The vision, determination, and groundbreaking initiatives of three discerning telecom industry leaders have been pivotal in laying the foundation for the seamless deployment of the world's largest 5G networks within record time.
Lifetime Achievement (2023)
Aluminary in India's telecommunications landscape, Mukesh D Ambani stands as a beacon of transformative leadership.
Telecom Person of the Year (2023)
A bureaucrat par excellence, K Rajaraman's visionary leadership has been instrumental in driving domestic telecom equipment manufacturing and streamlining decision-making processes within the DoT.