2010-12-05

Buy This Satellite -- Bring Internet to Developing World

The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

An online appeal to raise $150,000 to buy Terrestar-1 and rain bandwidth down on the Third World has already topped $16,000, despite the obstacles ahead of the project.

The plan is to buy Terrestar-1 off the bankrupt TerreStar satellite phone operation, then drive it round to somewhere over the developing world and offer internet access to the disenfranchised masses ... all of which sounds lovely until one takes a moment to think about the technical, logistical and financial issues involved.



BUY THIS SATELLITE - Connect Everyone.


Bringing internet access to the people who need it most






Help Buy a Satellite from a Bankrupt Telecom to Beam Free Web to the Developing World | Popular Science



Terrastar-1 This diagram shows how Terrastar-1 can beam the Web to handheld devices – in this case in North America. Ahumanright.org wants to buy Terrastar-1 from its parent company and move it to an orbit over a developing nation to provide free Internet to the population there.