The contents of the internet, via satellite
Outernet is a new project aims to deliver online content, but not the internet itself—only its information. The method? Large satellites and simple radio waves.
If it works, it might be a useful way to deliver information to people who don’t have regular access.
“Instead of providing direct internet access to everyone, we’re providing the content that exists on the internet,” says Syed Karim, founder of the project.
The satellites will broadcast the data to anyone with a receiver who can then turn them into files viewable in a browser.
Currently, the site will only be updating pages such as Wikipedia on a weekly or biweekly basis. As bandwidth increases, a page can be “rebroadcast” — re-transmitted — and it can be locally updated for those who are “listening” to it.
The project expects to launch in a few weeks.
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