Here’s the thing: It turns out that space Internet already exists. You don’t hear about it that often because the company delivering it, O3b Networks, isn’t run by a techno-celebrity named Musk or a radical like Wyler. But sure enough, O3b has operated a network of 12 Internet-beaming satellites for the past few months.
The O3b name stands for “the other 3 billion,” an indication of the company’s aspiration to provide high-speed Internet access for the chunk of the world’s population that can’t be reached effectively by fiber optic cables. O3b’s satellites sit in an orbit about 5,000 miles from earth—much closer to customers than previous satellites that attempted to deliver similar services—allowing data transfers at near-fiber optic Internet speeds. The end customers, in turn, can use all the Web has to offer, including the latest and greatest cloud services and online games, without suffering through lags.
To date, islands and countries located near the equator have shown the most interest in O3b’s services. The company this week announced deals with Papua New Guinea, American Samoa, and Timor-Leste. O3b also has a deal in place with Royal Caribbean Cruises to provide high-speed Internet on its ships and has just revealed an agreement with Miami-based Emerging Markets Communications that will bring high-speed Internet to offshore and remote oil drilling rigs. All told, O3b has signed up 21 customers and has 20 more deals in the works, says Ob3 Chief Executive Officer Steve Collar.