The Internet Needed Another Acronym – Enter "O3b"

The Internet Needed Another Acronym – Enter "O3b"

Most Americans that need information about a certain subject will visit google.com and find what they are looking for in moments. Regardless of the data required by the user they are probable a few clicks away from exactly what they need. The information doesn’t belong to Google, they just point in the right direction. The information itself is a fragmented library of seemingly infinite capacity that has answers, right or wrong, for every question. After having access for many years, what would it be like to live without the Internet? It would actually seem impossible for many consumers, and many businesses would instantly fail. So what is happening to the three billion people on earth without Internet access? Enter O3b.

The Other Three Billion (O3B), an emerging Satellite Internet technology firm, is committed to connecting the networks of developed countries with the "other three billion" people who have limited Internet access. Of course the number of people lacking Internet Access probably isn’t three billion, but the spirit of the statement is clear and the cool acronym is great for marketing material. Affordable high speed internet access made available to anyone anywhere. The job itself sounds pretty big, so how does O3B plan to pull it off?

On September 9th Google, Inc., HSB, and Liberty Global answered that question with $65 million in operating capital and operational support. This financing will certainly lead to more much needed funds from other firms because where Google goes, others follow. This is a good thing for O3B because $65 million is about a tenth of the cost for a full rollout of the 16 satellites needed to make this vision happen.

In the late 1990’s undersea fiber was the name of the game, and the larger developed countries benefited from this almost immediately. High speed Internet is available at an affordable price almost anywhere in America. In China you would be hard pressed to buy slow internet connectivity, and the same is so in Europe. In Africa however Internet access is not so readily available, and where it is its expensive. O3B’s new satellite network might solve this problem.

In a September press release Liberty Global CEO Michael Fries said, "Core transmission capacity is one of the most significant barriers to rolling out the high-speed telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a developing country and its economy. Using innovative modern satellite technology, O3b will make fiber-quality connectivity available throughout most of the world, without having to lay any fiber."

O3B claims that its service will be ready by 2010, and consumer as well as business sales can begin shortly after. If this happens the World Wide Web might actually become a reality.

About the Author

Jon Norwood is a founder and managing partner of the directory Satellite Internet, a site dedicated to providing information on Internet Service Providers, as well as guides on how to best choose a service.