Satellite based Internet for the developing world

Google Tech Talks
April, 22 2008

ABSTRACT

History has shown that access to the internet advances many facets of life including education, economic growth, and health care. Currently, only approximately 20 percent of the world population has access to the internet, which is mainly focused in North America, Australia, and Europe. More specifically, Africa being the most unconnected continent in the world has only 5 percent of its population utilizing the internet, whereas 70 percent of the population uses the internet in North America. It is predicted that these unconnected areas of the world will soon be serviced via land lines in the coming decades. However, no short term solution to this problem currently exists. The students from the Space Systems Engineering program at the University of Michigan have worked on designing a low-cost system that fulfills this "gap" in internet connectivity. This presentation will focus on their proposed solution to delivering such capabilities to the rural populations of Africa. In addition, upcoming technologies will be discussed that will impact similar missions in the future.

Speaker: Prof. Thomas Zurbuchen
University of Michigan Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences
Associate Professor
Director, College of Engineering Center for Entrepreneurial Programs
Ph.D., M.S., University of Bern

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• google
• techtalks
• techtalk
• engedu
• talk
• talks
• googletechtalks
• education

[SuperMindwar]

Lets take over Africa too!

[ihatesaturdays]

how much are you fags going to be charging these poor chapz for internet?

[djangobelgo]

Energy: have a look at small biogas units. For under $1000 you have a reliable 800W genset on biogas that runs 24 hours a day (all costs included - biogas plant, biogas production and generator cost). It might be more interesting than the intermittent sources.

The 800W station works on the night soil of 20 people, on 5 cows, or on a few kilos of biomass waste per day.

[TeslaKaniv]

not bad. i'm not sure why they explaned that in that much details. duplex sat internet is fairly common thing. and hey, it will become obsolete and too expensive much quicker than they think.

[MrCropper]

This project is very reminiscent of the British Empire's attempts to bring Anglo-type civilization to the rest of the world.

We live in a better world today to the extent that they succeeded.