A new network design for the "Internet from space"

A new generation of low-flying satellites promises an "Internet from space", that will be able to cover even remote regions around the world. Computer scientists at ETH Zurich are proposing a novel network design that could double the network capacity of such systems. Satellites do not yet play a major role in the world's Internet infrastructure. However, this may soon be set to change. Within the next decade, a new generation of satellites could lay the foundations for an "Internet from space", believes Ankit Singla, professor at ETH Zurich's Network Design & Architecture Lab. His team is investigating how to improve the performance of large-scale computer networks, including the Internet. Exploiting advances in cost-cutting technologies in the space sector, the new satellite systems would use thousands of satellites instead of the tens of satellites used in past systems.