We just released Lantern, one pocket-size device that receives free data forever. Learn more and get your Lantern, http://www.outernet.is/lantern.

https://www.outernet.is creating a world where anyone anywhere can read, watch, hear, or learn anything they want. For free. We are ushering in an age where information is a natural resource. When every human can add their ideas and creativity to the marketplace of innovation, what will we create together?

Help us build this world. Visit www.outernet.is and show your support for freeing information forever.

Introducing Lantern: One Device = Free Data Forever


Lantern is an anonymous portable library that constantly receives free data from space. Support Lantern on IndieGoGo!

https://www.outernet.is/lantern

Like the water we drink or the air we breathe, the information we consume feeds the very essence of what it means to be human. Lantern establishes a new baseline of human knowledge. We are not fixing the world for people, we are giving them the information they need to fix it themselves.

Lantern continuously receives radio waves broadcast by Outernet from space. Lantern turns the signal into digital files, like webpages, news articles, ebooks, videos, and music. Lantern can receive and store any type of digital file on its internal drive. To view the content stored in Lantern, turn on the Wi-Fi hotspot and connect to Lantern with any Wi-Fi enabled device. All you need is a browser.

Oh, and Outernet is free to use, always.

Outernet aims to provide data to the net unconnected


Mr Karim said the system was currently capable of broadcasting 200MB of data a day, but his intention was to increase that to 100GB or more.

"We want to use as much existing technology and repurpose it a bit, so that people buy as little stuff as possible," he said.

The ultimate idea, however, is to use a constellation of smaller satellites that would be in a lower orbit. Mr Karim said this would allow smaller antennas to pick up the broadcasts, making it possible to offer pocket-sized mobile receivers.

"The first prototype will be a bit fancier, but we can get the price of one of these receivers down to about $20 [£12.40]," he said.

"And at this price, if I'm able to broadcast a dozen e-books a day to anyone in the world, it ends up being extraordinarily powerful," said Mr Karim.

Outernet Tuner for Raspberry Pi


Outernet Telecommunication FaceBook Page

Outernet is equipped to broadcast up to 100 gigabytes of data per day. To determine what content goes out over that narrow bandwidth, Outernet has developed a system that allows anyone to submit content to be included Outernet’s broadcasts. The content that people have uploaded actually goes out during those broadcasts is determined by a public vote. In other words, you can upload your Ant Man fan fiction, but it might not ever make it onto anyone’s Lighthouse if no one votes for it.

“You can upload content that you think is important,” Karim says. “Whatever people tune into and choose to save is what they get.”

A bigger challenge may be providing relevant content to a global audience. Users will likely want local news and crop prices presented in local languages. And well-meaning content uploaders in the US won’t always be able to guess what information end-users will actually want.



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