Name: BBC 6 Minute English 2015年6月11日 - The Outernet (BBC 6 Minute English June 11, 2015 - The Outernet)
Uploaded: 2021-01-14T05:33:38.000Z
Duration: 6 min 6 s
Description: VoiceTubeの動画で発音を聞きながら英語表現を覚えよう！学べる英語：TOEIC

Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Neil...

Neil: Hello, Catherine! Now, how was your holiday?

Catherine: My holiday was lovely, Neil. I was staying

It was very remote and there was actually no internet access.

Catherine: Well, it wasn't easy. But I had my e-reader

that's an electronic device which lets you store and read lots of books from the internet.

Neil: Harry Potter? I know you like wizards, Catherine,

but shouldn't you have downloaded some classic literature?

But Shakespeare on the beach isn't quite right for me, Neil.

Neil: Right. Well, today we're talking about how the poorer and more remote

or distant - parts of the world can get access to learning.

Catherine: That's right. But before we start, Neil,

I believe you have a quiz question for us.

I would like to know what the proportion of the world's population that still has no internet access is.

Catherine: I'm going to go for c) two thirds.

Neil: Well, we'll find out if you're right or wrong later on in the programme.

So Catherine, how can these people get connected to the internet

Catherine: The Outernet. That's the idea of entrepreneur Syed Karim

and its goal is to give people in unconnected communities access to information

without having to use expensive mobile phones or two-way satellite networks.

And an entrepreneur, by the way, is a person who makes money

by starting their own business that typically involves some financial risk.

Catherine: Yes, I've always fancied myself as a bit of an entrepreneur.

Neil: Well, you'll need money and ideas, Catherine.

Catherine: So, can you tell us how the Outernet works, Neil?

Neil: Yes, I can. The Outernet uses existing communications satellites to store and broadcast data

broadcast means to send out signals or programmes.

or receives - the data, and this can be copied to phones and computers.

Catherine: But the Outernet broadcasts data offline

which means it's not connected to the Internet.

There's no communication with the internet for user

And that can be a big drawback - or disadvantage.

Neil: Yes. The Outernet doesn't provide two-way communication.

But let's hear Syed Karim discussing why one-way access has some advantages.

And see if you can spot another word meaning 'two-way'.

Syed Karim: Anything that is related to bi-directional communications,

the internet, to be able to provide that to the entire world,

multi-billion dollar projects with huge time horizons and enormous complexity.

And, you know, our solution that we are offering is instantaneous,

Another way of saying two-way is bi-directional.

So what are the advantages of one-way communication, Catherine?

Bi-directional communications are multi-billion dollar projects.

But the Outernet allows poorer communities to benefit from access to information.

And the other big problem is the time it would take to establish two-way access.

Syed says these projects have huge time horizons

and this means the length of time it takes to complete a project

Catherine: But the Outernet is already providing access

to some of the world's most valuable knowledge.

The project aims to create a library of information

taken from websites including Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg,

which is a collection of copyright-free e-books.

Copyright-free means the right to use material without paying any fees.

But let's go back to the internet  and hear from a BBC reporter

talking about another project which aims to get people connected.

BBC reporter: Google for example is working on Project Loon,

a network of high-altitude helium balloons,

which will boost Internet connections across much wider areas

meaning crazy - because Google thought it was such a crazy idea,

Catherine: Yeah. The idea is that users will connect to the balloon network

or group of interconnected balloons - using an antenna attached to their building.

The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon

and then to a station on the ground that's connected to the Internet.

Neil: The balloons will boost - or increase

the number of people who will be able to access the Internet.

And that's because there will be lots of them