Cheap Internet, Anywhere

Skylo says its tiny antennas can distribute good-enough access in far-flung areas for cheap

- Ashlee Vance

For years, parades of companies have been trying to create an all-encompassing global wireless network that would have the power to connect every imaginable object to the internet, reaching places impervious to cell towers and fiber-optic cables. Silicon Valley startup Skylo Technologies Inc. says it’s come the closest so far.

The San Mateo company’s small but powerful antenna, which it unveiled on Jan. 21 after three years of development in secrecy, can connect to pricey satellite-based internet services and relay their bandwidth to hundreds of other devices. Similar technology is already on the market, but Skylo’s founders say theirs does the job way better for way less. “If this type of connection was available for a few dollars per month, it would open up entirely new markets for people who are completely unconnected and underserved,” says Chief Executive Officer Parthsarathi Trivedi.