Google is developing wireless internet systems to deploy in south-east Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to give web access to 1 billion more people, according to The Wall Street Journal yesterday.

The report said that the internet software giant would team up with local communications companies to develop the wireless networks outside major cities where wired Internet connections are unavailable, said sources familiar with the strategy.

The move would help Google gain new customers for its advertising, and the company was developing cheap Android phones that would likewise connect to the wireless network. The company has already conducted trials in Kenya and South Africa and is in talks with various Governments to secure permission to use television broadcast spectrum, which enables longer-distance signals.

According to the report, Google is considering using blimps to establish the wireless networks over wide areas. Google weighing satellite and other technologies to provide broadband communications, the report said.

Access to the internet is considered key in helping poor populations rise from poverty. Some 2.5 billion of the world’s 7 billion people currently enjoy internet access, according to industry figures.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW