2020年2月13日

在全球各地的公司競相推出免費WiFi服務之際，中國互聯網技術公司LinkSure Network將徹底改變互聯網接入方式，其雄心勃勃的計劃是到2026年將整個世界連接起來。這是潮流分析師兼Flux trends創始人Dion Chang在發表他的2020年版“我們所處的狀態”趨勢簡報時所說的話，標題為“憤怒和兩極分化的政治:尋求中間立場。”“我們所處的狀態”是由趨勢研究公司FluxTrends發布的年度趨勢簡報，對正在塑造和改變我們生活、工作和娛樂方式的趨勢進行總結。在談到技術發展趨勢時，Chang強調了WiFi服務的下一個前沿，最早將在2026年通過一個名為“LinkSure蜂群星座係統”的當前項目實現全球範圍內的免費WiFi接入。這一雄心勃勃的計劃是由上海名不知名的LinkSure公司發起的，該公司正在運行272顆衛星，這些衛星被設置在不同的軌道和高度，以跨越全球。該公司表示，其使命是利用衛星通信解決互聯網接入問題，特別是在地麵網絡未覆蓋的地區。Chang指出:“思科幾年前預測，到2020年，地球上聯網設備的數量將是人口的7倍。”“這意味著每個人可能有7個設備。LinkSure希望通過向大氣層發射衛星，為整個星球提供免費網絡。2019年，該公司在酒泉衛星發射中心發射了第一顆衛星。今年，中國將再發射10顆該星座的衛星。” LinkSure aims to have a completed network of 272 satellites and data processing application centres by 2026, well on its way to connecting millions of people across the globe. Almost 4.54 billion people were active internet users as of January 2020, encompassing 59% of the global population, accordingto research firm Statista. Africa is seeing the strongest growth of internet users, with 39.8%of Africans having access to the internet. China, India and the US rank ahead of all other countries in terms of internet users. If the LinkSure project becomes successful and available in Africa, Chang predicted the initiative will play an important role in internet inclusion on the African continent. “In terms of the concept, while we haven’t seen the project come alive yet, as it’s still in the works, the idea does seem to be practical. Internet connectivity has been declared a human right and this project is expected to have a major impact on connecting Africa.” The total cost of the LinkSure is reportedly estimated to reach more than $431 million, with funds to be sourced from partners. The project concept is not new,notes Chang. As the race to connect the globe intensifies, other companies,such as Facebook, Google and SpaceX, are among those that have embarked onsimilar initiatives, while on a smaller scale. Last year, SpaceX launched a pairof test satellites called Tintin A and Tintin B into orbit , as part of founder Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to provide broadband internet connectivity to millions of users across the globe. Google’s WiFi offering “GoogleStation” has seen the launch of free WiFi in many parts of the globe. In SA, users in 125 locations across Langa, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu,Delft, Elsies River and Philippi in Cape Town have already been connected to Google’sfree everyday internet connectivity. * This article first appeared on ITWeb ALSO ON ITWEB AFRICA