Outernet is is a project introduced by a non-profit organisation Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) based in New York. Outernet will give free WiFi access to everyone in this world regardless of their location. It will allow people to bypass censorship laws in countries like China and North Korea. MDIF also hopes the Outernet will create a global notification system during emergencies and natural disasters.
Objective Of Project Outernet
Outernet's official website said, "Access to knowledge and information is a human right, and Outernet will guarantee this right by taking a practical approach to information delivery". They also added, “Lack of an Internet connection should not prevent anyone from learning about current events, trending topics and innovative ideas.”
Outernet said that there are more computing devices in the world than people, but only 60 percent of the world has access to the Internet. The price of smartphones and tablets is dropping year after year, but the price of data in many parts of the world continues to be unaffordable for the majority of global citizens. In some places, such as rural areas and remote regions, cell towers and Internet cables simply don’t exist,” Outernet says on its site. “The primary objective of the Outernet is to bridge the global information divide.”
Is Project Outernet Possible?
Building such a network is fairly expensive. The satellites in question run up costs from $100,000 to $300,000 to build and launch. High costs involved in the project makes it challenging to accomplish.
One of the leaders of the Outernet project, Syed Karim, told Reddit that most of the technology has been done by other small satellite programs and experiments. “We have a very solid understanding of the costs involved, as well as experience working on numerous spacecraft,” Syed Karim said. “There’s really nothing that is technically impossible to this.”
How will Outernet Work?
Outernet consists of a constellation of low-cost, miniature satellites in Low Earth Orbit. Each satellite receives data streams from a network of ground stations and transmits that data in a continuous loop until new content is received. In order to serve the widest possible audience, the entire constellation utilizes globally-accepted, standards-based protocols, such as DVB, Digital Radio Mondiale, and UDP-based WiFi multicasting.
Outernet is the modern version of shortwave radio,” said founder Mr. Karim. “It uses leading-edge technology to address a deep social problem. As the world moves towards a global knowledge-driven economy, more than 3 billion people are excluded by cost, geography or jurisdiction. Outernet will increase opportunities for everyone to access digital news and information.
When will Outernet launch?
If everything goes according to plan, the Outernet could be here as soon as June 2015. MDIF is hoping to raise millions of dollars in donations to get the Outernet off the ground. The goal is to have prototype satellites developed by this June. By September, MDIF is hoping NASA will give permissions to test Outernet technology on the International Space Station.
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