by Eneid Papa, staff reporter
The internet has truly changed many peoples lives since its inception in 1982. It began to grow and eventually became mainstream around the 2000s. But about 60%, around 4.3 billion people, of the world today remain with no internet connection due to the cause that many countries have weak infrastructures and or individuals can’t afford to pay for internet services.
Despite of this, technology enthusiasts have made a device that might be the solution. Introducing Lantern, a device that receives free data from space. Lantern is a project by Outernet Inc, it’s goal is to spread vital information to people in the world that can not afford an internet connection. However, it is not a normal internet connection since the user only receive data from satellites and cannot send data back.
A great analogy is FM radio, they only receive sound but it cannot send sound back. Lantern does the same thing but with virtual information like news, applications, music files, or educational content that is stored into Lanterns hard drive.
Lantern is a pocket-sized device designed with a plastic casing and solar panels giving it the opportunity to be autonomous, it can also be plugged into an outlet to charge faster. But it does not only charge itself, it can also charge mobile devices such as phones and tablets. To access Lantern’s data, all that is needed is a phone, laptop, tablet or any device that can connect to Wifi so that it can connect to Lantern since it creates a local network.
“It’s revolutionary, seeing new technology to help create a more balanced world for everyone,” junior Korhan Oral said.
There is currently a limit of 2 MB(Unit of digital information)/day, but Outernet is trying to achieve 100 MB/day through their campaign on Indiegogo. Their goal is to raise $10 Million to launch their own satellite into space and offer more power to the users of Lantern.
Although Lantern does not provide the full package of the internet it is a powerful tool for people in different situations and locations of the world that are in need of vital information.
