180 Google satellites to bring entire planet online

California, June 4 :

When you are busy chatting or surfing the internet, do you know that nearly 4.8 billion people – or two-third of the world’s population – are not yet online? This is going to change soon.

Google is planning to launch 180 satellites to provide web access for them, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The multinational firm is reported to be spending over $1 billion on the technology, to be developed by Greg Wyler, founder of satellite-communications start-up O3b Networks.

The small yet high-capacity satellites will orbit the earth at “lower altitudes than traditional satellites”.

Project Loon, a separate project by Google, is designing high-altitude balloons to provide broadband service to remote parts of the world, the report added.

Google has also acquired Titan Aerospace that is building solar-powered drones to provide similar connectivity.

(IANS)