Space Race 2.0: Expanding Global Internet Accessibility

摘要

In this paper, we examine cyber electromagnetic activities and avenues for expanding Internet accessibility. Delivering fast and reliable Internet access to people, whose physical isolation precludes connectivity by wires and other traditional means, is challenging. In response, key industry players are racing to take on this challenge both with serious financial backing as well as their own methodologies for creating a more accessible global Internet. However, each approach must overcome its own set of technological hurdles. By way of example, satellites can deliver Internet access to sparsely populated areas, but the cost of using satellite data connections can be very high. Drones, in comparison, can reach those customers at a much lower cost. Yet, both platforms rely on the Ku-band, which is essentially saturated during the day and thereby subject to low throughput and long delays. Even if satellites and drones utilize another part of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as Ka-band, rain fade remains a persistent problem. High-altitude planes that fly above commercial airlines and the weather can utilize lasers, which are at the cutting edge of connectivity research for their incredible accuracy and high throughput; however, laser beams get scattered by clouds. Finally, the challenges of keeping a network of balloons - that are traveling on the edge of space - on course and without leaking are plentiful. The main technological challenge to the underpinning mesh network backbone is the frequency of power outages that disrupt the network. In any case, the next generation Generativity Principle holds promise not only for optimizing the flow of data throughout the Internet, but also for maximizing the primary infrastructure of Internet access.