You may find it hard to believe, but a US-based company Outernet is aiming for providing free Wi-Fi to every person on earth using low-orbit earth satellites. Outernet, also calling themselves as Humanity’s Public Library, is a global broadcast data startup currently being incubated by the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a United States-based impact investment fund and non-profit organization established in 1995 by Saša Vučinić and Stuart Auerbach.
They recently began providing free Wi-Fi to 1.3 billion people across North America, Europe and most of the Middle East. They have covered regions of Asia Pacific by end of 2014 and by June 2015 the company aims to provide free internet to everybody across the globe. Currently, it is providing 200 MB of data per day through its high-speed signals, but soon it would be upgraded to 1 GB. The company is eying on providing 100 GB of data per day to users across the globe.
According to MDIF, the initial content access includes international and local news, crop prices for farmers, Teachers Without Borders, emergency communications such as disaster relief, applications and content such as Ubuntu, movies, music, games, and Wikipedia in its entirety.
Recently, Outernet has released a gadget called Lantern, which aims to connect the entire world to the internet for free. Lantern is more like a modern version of a digital radio and it works anywhere in the world. With this, you can view everything in a browser but it will look like offline mode with only some part accessible. The device is solar powered and can also charge a phone. This is basically a wi-fi hotspot coupled with a portable charger.
Will Outernet change the whole perspective of how we look at the internet today, This only time will tell. But one thing is sure, I will keep myself updated with this thing as so should you.
(The article has been updated to include new information)
Also Read: Free Internet Provider Outernet Launching Its Own Satellites
What’s your thought about Outernet? Write in comments.
49 thoughts on “OuterNet : Free Internet to Everbody, Anywhere, Anytime Via “Lantern””
Excited to see how far they can run with this!!!!
Yeah, right now it seems very promising, let see what does the future holds for outernet
This project is so promising, it be awesome to see it take off and reach it's main goal of covering the globe in free internet.
yeah. high hopes. this may be a way to provide internet to every person
Nice move,it’s really going to be a welcome innovation b/c the money that we,more especially nigerians spend on data bundle this days is much.
Abeg, help me tell dem ooo. No be small thing for here in Naija. Telecom companies eyes dey shook badly. We pay tru d nose to have an internet experience not to talk of enjoying it sef. This is a welcome development dat will spoilt market for d nonsense gsm companies in Naija.
I'm looking forward to seeing how this progresses. Its such an awesome idea, and its incredibly promising to say the least. Free internet ftw
How can I help?
The problem is that it's obviously easily regulated and limited. Seems to me like the governments answer to making sure we have slow speeds, and are constantly monitored easier.
is this available now or are we in a holding pattern?
is this available now or are we in a holding pattern?
It will be nice to see outernet come to reality,
a very good one….very much exited
When this Technology arrive in india.
its a way to get information free to the public but its not a way to chat or e-mail. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29593734
this is a good development basically to island states in the Pacific region to connect scattered islands around. I am looking forward to this innovation which I believe much beneficial to my country, Kiribati. However if there is a possible to access emails and chats apps then would be appreciated.
One could even create a large mesh network and connect it to a live feed.
A huge ‘network’ indeed. If its this cheap, then it means that flaws follow behind with the entire project.
Imagine how many people could be at reach, what a great of people in numbers will cry tears to the bridge of their security system and sensitive data being stolen and used for malicious activities.
Social networking and mail services should have been implemented. This would mean ease of regulation and monitoring by different states on subjects that might pose as threats to its environmental state.
Overall, the entire project would mean freedom of access to information towards people living in “contained” regions.
Way to go project outernet, happy surfing to the world..
First let me know that what's your aim with this internet that u want to provide for the all world ??
And what's your benefits that u want to serve for all peoples ?
This would be amazing! Lets just hope the intentions of the company if pure and that they dont aim to simply intercept the entire globe's traffic for government purposes.
This would be amazing! Lets just hope the intentions of the company if pure and that they dont aim to simply intercept the entire globe's traffic for government purposes.
Lantern is like a Swiss-army knife for offline communication. Lantern is also a critical edition to your disaster kit. More details: https://goo.gl/nbQzm7
please let me live long enought to get this one JESUS
Maybe education?
I don't think so cuz we have lots of peoples that they are back and uneducated persons so for what should they use from free internet??
Where can I sign up and when
We are all becoming telempaths. Our children will not understand the concept of the 'Other.'
Great idea for places like China where people do not have free access to the internet.
lets just hope that its for the good of peoples. 🙂
This may spark many variants of new "outernets" in many countries, as users decide the kind of networks they need, for those kinds of information they really need, instead of what is pushed by the mainstream.
This looks great – for some limited applications.
It's very similar to a project I designed way back in 1997 for a company called WavePhore (renamed to WAVO) called WaveTop. Instead of satellites, we injected and grabbed data using the public broadcasting system's nationwide TV broadcast (using the VBI – vertical blanking interval – to send and receive data).
It was even included on the Windows 98 disc.
It flopped – massively. The internet is not about receiving broadcast information, it's all about interaction with information. Sure, we could transmit 250 Meg of data free to your system each day, but is it the data that YOU want? Probably not. And there's not a way to request a certain type of data be sent to you.
I wish these folks good luck. But so far, there's been no successful internet data broadcast technology that has resonated with users. That's not saying there's not one out there – somewhere – for some application. It's just not been found yet.
https://articles.latimes.com/1998/sep/07/business/fi-20294
Abeg, help me tell dem ooo. No be small thing for here in Naija. Telecom companies eyes dey shook badly. We pay tru d nose to have an internet experience not to talk of enjoying it sef. This is a welcome development dat will spoilt market for d nonsense gsm companies in Naija.
https://goo.gl/qPWQef
The solar powered lantern, able to charge phones, in and of itself, would be a nice thing to have. The ability to receive data and communicate, during an emergency, could also come in handy.
I wish I had had this after the 2011 Joplin tornado. I had absolutely no outside communications b/c the cell towers were all destroyed and I was seperated from my husband. We didn't even see each other until midnight. This would have/could have made things 10 times easier and more bearable.
when the deal is so sweat think more
If outernet really can get connected with my devices. It would be great for my work,entertainment,family,friends and overseas. As my salary is not so much to cover the expense of my mobile devices the whole day.
That sounds great, but how do we keep the FCC out of it?
To share research information. To be able to work as a team anywhere in the world. To be able to continue our freedoms of expression and opinion with the world. To be able to keep each other informed of Tyranny and Terror. To force Government transparency to deter greed and corruption. To be able to share video, pictures, and evidence to continue to wake and enlighten the people. For [email protected]@£0v3)€
Sounds like FCC's playground
Would be great till government/ big business componies (which are the same ) make it illegal or shut it down because they are not making money off of it … Also it would be used for spying on people by said gov/componies
I think its a very good idea, and a nice concept indeed. we are all hoping to see it.. #OuterNet
Guys you saw Kingsman so yeah its a trap.
Everybody's information and IP address now available on touch via satellite! Spying just got a whole lot easier
Ya really. Everyone keeps posting kickstarter projects as of they're in production. Need more clarity
Purpose doesn't matter. Principle does. Give us 100% unfiltered access and WE decide how to use it
Did II hear mention of the World Bank? Handle with caution!
How does it differ from Facebook's Internet.org?