California, June 3 (IANS): When you are busy chatting or surfing the internet, do you know that nearly 4.8 billion people - or two-third of the world's population - are not yet online? This is going to change soon.
Google is planning to launch 180 satellites to provide web access for them, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
The multinational firm is reported to be spending over $1 billion on the technology, to be developed by Greg Wyler, founder of satellite-communications start-up O3b Networks.
The small yet high-capacity satellites will orbit the earth at "lower altitudes than traditional satellites".
Project Loon, a separate project by Google, is designing high-altitude balloons to provide broadband service to remote parts of the world, the report added.
Google has also acquired Titan Aerospace that is building solar-powered drones to provide similar connectivity.