A Truly World-Wide Web

摘要

Only one out of three inhabitants of this planet has regular access to the Internet. Its vast resources in education, industry, media, global communication, and culture-not to mention cat videos and selfies-are beyond the reach of most. A handful of companies and entrepreneurs are working on various ways to get the world's wired population to hit three out of three. Google, Facebook, and SpaceX have all recently announced initiatives to connect the world's unconnected three to four billion to the Internet. But to reach the world's most remote regions, the familiar combinations of cable TV wires, fiber optic lines, and cell phone towers won't be sufficient. Instead, Google wants to use high-altitude balloons, Facebook plans to fly solar-powered drones, and SpaceX is preparing to launch constellations of Internet-transmitting satellites into space. Plus, one satellite entrepreneur you've probably never heard of might beat them all to the punch.