Internet companies spend billions to get people connected
The world’s biggest tech companies are spending billions of dollars on projects to get more people around the world connected to the internet, Axios’ Sara Fischer writes.
- Why it matters:Tech companies historically have specialized in services like social media or payments that ride on top of internet connections, rather than building the networks themselves.
- But their businessescan’t grow without quick expansion of the web, and owning the broadband pipes is becoming just as important as owning the content that runs through them.
What’s new: Facebook is in talks to develop an underwater data cable ring around Africa, The Wall Street Journal reports. The project aims to drive down internet costs so that Facebook can get more people using its services.
- Google owns the majorityof the 63,605 miles of submarine cables around the world.
- Amazon saidit will launch thousands of satellites into space to provide internet around the world, via a new effort called Project Kuiper.
- SpaceXis also hoping to use satellites to beam broadband.
Go deeper: Today’s internet is by land, sea, air and space.
Πηγή: axios.com
