Fortune USA 201902

PRACTICAL

EXPERTISE

TECH

21

FORTUNE.COM// FEB.1 .19

THE NEXTBILLION PEOPLE who get connected to

the Internet may be looking to the heavens.

That’s where a race is on to provide online ac-

cess from fleets of satellites, led by a who’s who

of tech and several deep-pocketed startups.

The aim is to help connect people in devel-

oping countries, provide speedier online access

to mainly rural users who depend on today’s

slower and more expensive satellite Internet

services, and cater to business customers that

want real-time data from their equipment, like

oil rigs and ocean buoys.

Several hopefuls

have already

started launching

satellites into orbit. THE

IN T ERNE T

SPACE R ACE

Companies are scrambling to

offer high-speed online access

from the final frontier.

By Aaron Pressman

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