Othernet Inc. was a broadcast data company. Othernet sold several radio receivers and kits, as well as components including antennae, amplifiers, downconverters, and a radio frequency (RF) signal converter.
Othernet's stated goal was to build a worldwide library containing the core of human knowledge that would be accessible to everyone. It aimed to provide free access to content from the web through geostationary and low Earth orbit satellites. The project used datacasting to send signals to conventional geosynchronous communications satellites in a satellite constellation network. Wi-Fi enabled devices would communicate with ground station hotspots, which received data broadcasts from satellites.
It received its initial investment from the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a United States–based impact investment fund and non-profit organisation. In 2015, Othernet also launched an IndieGogo campaign, which raised over to finance the development of the Lantern receiver. The company also received grants for technological development from the United Kingdom and for providing service to Ukraine.
The company and its service were previously known as Outernet Inc., but were changed in July 2018 due to trademark issues.
Othernet Inc. is listed as out of business as of 1 November 2025.
Background Compared to Worldspace radio, Othernet Inc. was an Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) program implemented with the intent of broadcasting to both a general audience as well as to specific sectors.
The project, conceived by MDIF's Director of Innovation Syed Karim, launched on 31 January 2014, with seed funding provided by MDIF subsidiary Digital News Ventures. Its initial team included a physicist, a space expert, a former FCC lawyer and a graphic designer. Karim had conceived the idea while pursuing a PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, beginning to work on it while employed at Chicago Public Media. Karim initially claimed that the projected annual cost would be , and that the project would be possible with transponders already in orbit, able to broadcast 500 GB of new data daily.
Othernet was initially expected to provide limited offline Internet website access through a network of miniature satellites surrounding the globe to provide a password-free network accessible by anyone with a device able to connect to Wi-Fi. Backed by MDIF, the endeavor was projected to cost into the hundreds of millions to complete and was expected to be funded through voluntary donations, which were accepted through PayPal and via both Bitcoin and Dogecoin. Othernet claimed that all donations were tax deductible in their entirety.
The initial estimates expected to have prototypes completed by June 2015, launched using existing spacecraft. The prototype satellites were expected to number in the hundreds when the project was first announced. Othernet applied for time on the International Space Station for transmission testing, which they expected to be completed by September 2015.
The one-way signal was eventually expected to be able to support two-way communication, though a projected date was not mentioned. Transmitting on the Othernet signal was theoretically possible via the Automatic Packet Reporting System, however, the files sent over the signal sent by Othernet contained an XML declaration which identified the files the company had broadcast to the receivers.
Name change Originally started under the name Outernet Inc., the company changed the name to Othernet Inc. in July 2018 following a trademark dispute, per a statement from Karim on the Othernet forums. The name "Outernet" had been trademarked for use by Consolidated Developments Ltd. in the United Kingdom.
Goals Othernet's purpose, as stated by Karim, was to compile a "core archive" of mankind's knowledge.
One of Othernet's stated priorities was to transmit educational content to areas without access, including both those in areas off-the-grid, as well as anyone living in an area with an oppressive government. Othernet expected to be able to offer the service free of charge and with full anonymity for users.
The service was also aimed at providing information available on the Internet in an offline format to individuals living in rural areas not covered by existing Internet service providers as well as in areas covered by ISPs but where access to those services was cost-prohibitive. Additionally, Othernet's broadcast would be able to bypass government-imposed censorship.
Karim also stated that Othernet intended to utilise existing technology as much as possible in order to reduce the potential equipment cost to users of the service.
Transmission Availability In March 2014, Othernet stated that it would prioritise areas where inhabitants had no Internet access, citing the dense electronic presence in urban areas with access as a limiting factor to its implementation. They stated a preference for IEEE 802.11 for wireless transmission.
On 11 August 2014, Othernet began broadcasting to North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa. Full beta became available for those locations on 1 October 2014, which allowed users to begin making content requests via Othernet's website.
Sub-Saharan Africa was able to access the broadcasts beginning in December 2014, where the service was used by schools in Kenya beginning 9 March 2015. A partnership with the World Bank Group in South Sudan scheduled a test of the service for July 2015 with Othernet expecting to be able to increase its coverage afterward. The deal reached was expected to help distribute Othernet's Pillar devices to increase access to educational materials available to local schools. In August 2015, Othernet stated that the Sub-Saharan region was receiving 800 Gbits (100 GB), the largest portion of the data broadcast.
Thane Richard, Othernet's COO through 2016, stated that broadcasts within Asia would begin by June 2015 with global distribution available by the end of 2016. By January 2016, broadcasts had been extended to cover Middle America; South America; Asia, including Russia; and Oceania. At that time, Othernet's broadcast could be received via Galaxy 19, Eutelsat 113 West A, Hot Bird, Intelsat 20, AsiaSat 5, and ABS-2.
Instead of being able to add L-band service to the existing Ku-band, Othernet discontinued the Ku-band in 2016 to begin broadcasting over L-band, though they had been able to broadcast over C band while active on Ku-band. L-band service was provided through three Inmarsat satellites: F1, covering the Asia-Pacific region; F3, covering the American continents; and F4 covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The L-band service was discontinued in 2017 when Othernet returned to broadcasting on Ku-band, this time without reception requiring a satellite.
Ground stations were located in Toronto, Amsterdam, and Ketu Bay, New Zealand.
Signal Othernet stated that it intended to use standards-based protocols such as DVB, Digital Radio Mondiale, and UDP-based Data Transfer Protocol in the satellites it intended to launch. According to Dr. Edward Birrane, the project would be using Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking to bypass the issue of satellite transmission disruption due to any change in a satellite's position. The potential for such disruption led Othernet to request testing time on the International Space Station. Vice reported that Othernet expected a response to their request by June 2014. Birrane received a denial letter from the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) dated 16 April, the day after the article's publication. The refusal was attributed to funding.
Karim described the transmission as a mix of shortwave radio and BitTorrent. Othernet software developer Branko Vukelic compared the data transmission to dial-up modems operating around 30 KBps.
Initial transmissions were to consist of 1600 Mbits (200 MB) per day using the L-band, broadcast over Galaxy 19 and Hot Bird. However, when Othernet launched its Indiegogo campaign, it lowered the amount of data available to 16 Mbits (2 MB) per day, with the amount to be increased to 80 Mbits (10 MB) if the campaign reached , with a data transmission cap listed at 800 Mbits (100 MB) per day. The broadcasts were also initially made on the Ku-band, with plans to add L-band, and once the CubeSats were launched, UHF. Othernet expected to have a constellation of 24 CubeSats launched prior to 2016. These satellites were expected to be launched into low Earth orbit at altitude.
By March 2015, Othernet had filed with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission for a non-geostationary satellite orbit license, with Karim stating that their broadcast spectrum wouldn't interfere with existing satellite usage.
Using a Low-noise block downconverter (LNB) without an attached dish, Othernet sought to increase the download capabilities while reducing operational costs in 2018. They succeeded in transmitting a LoRa-modulated signal via a Ku-band link to a geostationary satellite. The signal resulted in an increased download rate, from 2 kb/s to 30 kb/s.
Curation The broadcast consisted of three datasets, none of which could contain hyperlinks to content that had not also been included.
The first, called the "Core Archive", consisted of materials selected by Othernet staff as essential. Karim likened the model to Flipboard. This portion of the broadcast was updated on a weekly basis, save for emergencies such as natural disasters.
Initial transmissions for the Core Archive included articles from Wikipedia; courses from Khan Academy and Teachers Without Borders; data from Open Source Ecology; international and local news; crop prices; Coursera; OpenStreetMap; Ubuntu; Bitcoin blockchains; the British Council's LearnEnglish; and emergency channels to replace cellular communication in the event of tower failure or natural disaster. In September 2014, ten articles from Harvard University's Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) were included in the broadcast. By November 2014, Project Gutenberg was also included. By June 2015, Elsevier and the U.S. HHS emPOWER Program were also included. The International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) connected Othernet with libraries in Namibia to include local resources with the partnership expected to begin in 2016.
The second dataset was called the "Queue". Using the Google App Engine and coding in Python, Othernet created an API and web app to allow the content included in the transmissions to be suggested and voted on. Both SMS text messages and traditional postal mail were suggested as methods of requesting content to be added to the broadcasts, with plans to add WhatsApp. To be included in this dataset, the material had to be open licensed. In December 2015, Karim stated that remote areas largely requested healthcare and educational information.
Karim also admitted that once the project began transmission, Othernet expected to sell advertisements in order to pay for its costs. Othernet did include sponsored content in its broadcast, originally from World Bank and Radio Netherlands Worldwide, as well as UNICEF's Twitter feed. On 25 August 2014, Deutsche Welle announced a partnership with Othernet, citing their common goals of net neutrality and combating censorship. United Methodist Communications entered into an agreement with Othernet to broadcast the religious literature of the United Methodist Church in July 2015, which Richard stated he expected to be the beginning of Othernet's "faith-based content". This paid material comprised the third dataset.