Google is reportedly planning to invest more than $1 billion (£597m) in a fleet of satellites to bring the internet to parts of the world that are currently unconnected.
The company will begin by launching around 180 small, high-capacity satellites into orbit around the earth at lower altitudes than traditional satellites, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, this number could eventually double.
People familiar with the project said that it could cost between $1 billon and $3 billion, depending on the network's design and the final number of satellites.
The project will be led by Greg Wyler, founder of satellite-communications startup O3b Networks, which is financially backed by Google. The search giant has also been hiring engineers from satellite company Space Systems/Loral LLC to work on the project.
This is not the first time Google has touted the idea of delivering Internet from the sky. In June 2013, the company announce Project Loon – an initiative to provide broadband service to remote parts of the world using high-altitude balloons.
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