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www.foxnews.com 2015 0000111.txt

#Virgin and Qualcomm launch latest broadband-for-the-masses satellite project Virgin boss Richard Branson said his company is joining forces with Qualcomm to put thousands of Internet satellites into orbit offering Web access to remote locations that don currently have it. If that sounds familiar that because Facebook (together with a group of big-name tech firms) and Google (Project Loon) are also working toward similar goals. To make the project happen the two companies will be investing heavily in satellite Internet firm Oneweb Ltd. possibly familiar to some by its former name of Worldvu Satellites. e plan to put an initial array of 648 satellites up and if that successful we want to go to 2400 satellitesbranson told CNBC on Thursday. he idea is to reach the billions of people who don have Internet access and to do so with good quality reception and good prices. elated:##Will Zuckerberg use his Internet-laser drones for good or for evil? According to the International Telecommunications Union more than 50 percent of the world population is currently without Internet access. The initial array of nearly 650 micro satellites is intended to provide ow-latency high-speed Internet access directly to small user terminals deployed around the worldoneweb said in a release. The plan is to connect ural and remote areasusing the satellites which are likely to cost around $350000 each to build. The satellites will be put into orbit by Launcherone Virgin galactic under-construction orbital launch vehicle a method which Branson considers highly cost effective. t much more efficient than the big rockets of the pasthe said. e can literally take off every three or four hours. here speculation that Oneweb could work with Elon Musk Spacex#company on the production of the satellites though neither company has offered any concrete information on the#possibility. Meanwhile it seems the race is well and truly on to be the first to succeed with sky-based global broadband initiatives. While Facebook is looking to send drones#the size of massive passenger planes into orbit to bring Web access to the masses Google is looking at high-altitude balloons #and satellites to achieve a similar goal n

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