Now it is hard to believe, and even a little embarrassing.
About 57% of the world's population is not online, mostly due to the lack of internet in rural or marginal areas of countries. The United Nations (UN) set a goal of bringing that figure to 50% by the end of 2020.
But the UN now admits that that will not happen. In fact, growth in overall internet access is expected to slow by 0.5% this year.
For advocates like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, that's bad news. His goal of "connecting everyone" through the Internet is "one of the fundamental challenges of our generation," he said. Internet access, he believes, could end extreme poverty.
One of the problems is the cost. Or in the words of the UN, "In many of the world's poorest countries, where broadband could potentially bring the greatest benefits in terms of closing development gaps, even the most basic service continues to be prohibitively expensive."
Another challenge: Many nations have huge jungle areas where connecting systems such as land lines and towers do not exist.
Some think the solution consists of two words: look up.
Google, Facebook, SpaceX and others plan launching the internet from satellites in low orbit or on high-flying drones and hot air balloons.
Here's a look at four big players:
OneWeb
What: A company called OneWeb plans to launch more than 600 tiny satellites designed to launch high-speed internet to Earth.
Where: The satellites will orbit about 1,200 kilometers above Earth. That is much closer to Earth than the satellites that currently provide internet are, which are 35,405,568 kilometers away. At that distance, signal distribution will be accelerated.
Who is behind the project: OneWeb is led by Greg Wyler and supported by Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic. "It could help dramatically close the wealth gap," Branson told CNN.
How much: The initial budget estimates about $1.5 billion to $2 billion, Wyler told CNN.
When: Service is expected to begin in 2019.
SpaceX
What: SpaceX, which already supplies the Station Space International plans to launch 4,000 small, low-cost, disposable satellites into orbit.
Where: Like OneWeb, SpaceX plans to have its satellites orbit about 1,200 kilometers from Earth in order to provide faster service.
Who is behind the project: Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and co-founder of PayPal, told Motherboard in July that he sees "the long-term potential It's great." "Communications technology will advance substantially" more than existing satellite internet projects, Musk said.
How much: In January, Google and Fidelity invested $1 billion to finance the project.
When: Testing of the technology is expected to begin in 2016.
Google's Project Loon
What: Solar-powered hot air balloons will transmit internet signals to ground stations, homes, workplaces or directly to personal devices.
Where: Google says they will float above commercial airplanes, between 60,000 and 90,000 feet, around the world. Each balloon will operate for about 100 days at a time.
How much: Google is planning to be able to launch dozens or even thousands of balloons, said project leader Mike Cassidy.
Google told The Verge that each balloon would cost "tens of thousands of dollars" which is much cheaper than communications satellites.
When: tests are currently underway
Aquila de Facebook
What: Facebook has built an unmanned internet-broadcasting aircraft called Aquila, Latin for eagle. It is covered in solar cells and has a wingspan of 42 meters, about the same as a Boeing 737. It is designed to fly for three months straight at an altitude of 60,000 feet, according to lead engineer Andy Cox. It will use lasers to send high-speed internet within a 50-mile radius.
How much: Unknown
When: "Over the next few months, we will test these systems in the real world and continue to refine them so we can turn their promise into reality," wrote Facebook's Zuckerberg.
Adding huge "constellations" of tiny satellites to the already crowded space around Earth It can't be simple. For example, companies that operate distant satellites fear that under certain circumstances, new satellites closer to Earth could interfere with their electronic signals, according to Space News.
To conclude
A broader industry question: How will these companies be able to manufacture thousands of satellites quickly and cheaply? OneWeb has contracted with France's Airbus to build 900 satellites, four per day. Most will be built in the United States, according to Airbus.
"They need to bring those manufacturing line processes and efficiencies found in the automotive world to space, and that's something really new to us," said Brian Weeden, a satellite industry expert and technical advisor to the Secure World Foundation.
But if everything works according to plan, it won't be long before the web truly becomes a global network.
David Goldman and Ananya Bhattacharya of CNNMoney contributed to this report.
Updated on: 10/11/2015 00:00:00
Source of Information: Thom Patterson / CNN Expansión
