Connecting the Developing World

Connectivity has been one of the major inhibitors to growth in the developing world. Think about it, communication systems that allow for quick and easy access to information are the backbone of the economy in the developed world. Firstly, telecommunication systems – especially cell phones and computers – have substantially lowered barriers to entry in many markets by providing average citizens with the information needed to be competitive. Secondly, telecommunication technology has spawned one of the largest industries in the developed world (in both the manufacture of telecommunications hardware and in the service and support sectors) and has completely transformed our economy.

However, large parts of the world are still untouched by this technology. It is crippling their economies. For many countries it is prohibitively expensive to lay down copper wire and build transmission towers required by conventional communication systems. Thanks to the efforts of O3b, however, developing countries may be able to overcome this obstacle. O3b, short for the “other 3 billion” - the number of people without access to the internet, plans to launch its own satellites into space that will provide low cost broadband access to people in the developing world.  O3b hopes that poorer nations will hop on board quickly, and like any good telecommunications company, it is making limited time offers to encourage them to do so.

Some major donors, ranging from Google to Thales Alenia, a French aerospace manufacturer, have either partnered with or are contributing funds to O3b’s venture. O3b has already met some success, despite the fact that its satellites won’t launch into orbit until 2010. It has signed major contracts with internet service providers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guyana and is hoping to make major inroads into island nations in the Pacific and the Caribbean that would enjoy higher bandwidths due to their remote locations. O3b is doing its part, traveling the globe over the next few months searching for new customers (what a great gig!).

The notion that billions of people could get online without ever lifting a shovel is exciting, but it comes with risks. Landlines ensure some degree of reliability. I’m sure many would argue that their internet provider is anything but reliable, but I’m not talking about the provider, I’m talking about the system itself. It would be much more difficult to bring a traditional, terrestrial system off-line than it would be one dependent upon wireless transmissions from satellites. With only 8 O3b satellites in orbit, it seems possible that if one malfunctioned it could put an entire country (or countries) in the dark. The proliferation of satellites in space also raises the possibility of a mid-air collision, as demonstrated by the recent crash of a Russian and an American satellite. To its credit, O3b only guarantees 99.5% service availability. Maybe the missing 0.5% accounts for a potential mid-air “encounter.” Check out O3b’s website for more information about how it all works and for a video about the company.