Satellite internet

Connecting remote workers could mean a total shift in global labour options and outcomes.

Half of the world’s population is offline. The way to get the other four billion people connected, some think, is to beam the internet at them from space.

Within the next few decades, private companies aim to launch thousands of satellites enabling global internet networks. OneWeb, SpaceX and Amazon’s Project Kuiper are some of the key players who think their low Earth-orbit satellites will bring about the second internet revolution. In OneWeb’s system, the satellites will offer a mobile internet signal from above, allowing people to browse the web anywhere via their smartphone.

The implications are huge – not least for the world of work, where hundreds of millions of people will gain access to remote working opportunities and online training for jobs. Provided they have good literacy and some technical skills, there is a good chance that having web access will boost their incomes.

According to Deloitte, the arrival of internet access generally enhances the productivity of labour and capital. Researchers note that in India, “farmers and fishermen tracking weather conditions and comparing wholesale prices through mobile phones increased their profits by 8% and better access to information resulted in a 4% drop in prices for consumers”.

Workers in developing countries could soon find themselves training AI algorithms online or running local app-based businesses. The biggest challenge will be to ensure that this work does not represent a race to the bottom of employment standards – that digital labour in the 21st Century still protects the rights of workers, however remote.

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Image credit: Piero Zagami and Michela Nicchiotti.