03b Satellite to Deliver Fast Broadband

O3b satellite network debuts today in Kourou, French Guiana with a promise of bringing fast broadband to billions of people in the developing world.

A release from the satellite company indicates that O3b’s fast fiber speed satellite network will provide fast, effective and efficient infrastructure conducive for 21st century communications in many parts of the world, including Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific.

According to the release, “They will operate in medium Earth Orbit, reducing the network cost and latency or delay that web users experience when loading a web page. This will help connect consumers in the developing world (“the other 3 billion” or O3b) who currently lack proper internet access. A new and exciting world will open to billions of people who, up to now, have not experienced the benefits of fast Internet connectivity.”

The network of satellites, the release said, will deliver broadband connectivity everywhere on Earth within 45 degrees of latitude north and south of the equator, including markets in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, markets where demand is expected to remain higher than supply over the coming years.

The network of O3b satellites includes customers such as Etisalat, Digicel and Royal Caribbean Cruises while investors include Google, SES, Liberty Global and HSBC.