After a 24-hour and an extra 33 minutes delay caused by weather conditions, Arianespace’s Soyuz launcher finally took off from the Guiana Space Center carrying the first four satellites for O3b Networks.

    Operating from a medium-Earth altitude, the four O3b Networks spacecraft will deliver telecommunications and Internet services to Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and the Middle East, combining the global reach of satellite coverage with the speed of a fiber-optic network.

        Using the constellation of satellites to be launched by Arianespace, O3b Networks’ strategy is to provide billions of consumers and businesses in nearly 180 countries with low-cost, high-speed, low latency Internet and mobile connectivity.