Why Facebook And Google Dropped Satellite Internet Plans

Recent reports have highlighted that both Facebook Inc FB and Google Inc GOOGGOOGL are doing away with plans of providing Internet access through satellite.

Michael Learmonth, Technology Editor at International Business Times, was on CNBC to discuss why the Internet giants are dropping plans of satellite Internet.

There Are Better Ways

“Satellites just aren’t very good at delivering the Internet. It’s very expensive, the connection isn’t very good,” Learmonth said. “So, there’s just a lot of lower tech kind of less expensive easier ways to get it done. You have got Google with project Loon doing balloons and Facebook has got its own solar drones, they have invested in a company called Titan Aerospace. So, I think there’s just better ways to get this done.”

You Will See New Technologies Will Emerge

Learmonth was asked if one will ever see these kind of projects to spread internet access get off the ground. He replied, “Absolutely, you have got two-thirds of the world does not have access to the Internet - 4.4 billion people. Google and Facebook are the biggest global ad businesses in the world. It’s absolutely essentially that they reach those people. I think you’ll see new technologies emerge that will make that possible and cheaper.”

“You see apps now that allow like a village to share one Internet connection basically and intelligently move it from phone to phone, phones connected together. I think that’s the way that connectivity will spread in the developing world,” Learmonth concluded.