A few years ago O3b Networks was getting plenty of press for a $750 million plan to bring broadband to many have-nots with the financial support of Google, HSBC, and Liberty Media boss John Malone. The plan was to use 16 new low-earth orbit satellites and create an entirely new satellite-based wholesale operator, with a focus on particularly unconnected areas like Africa, where bandwidth costs continue to be astronomical. Several years on and the company says they're about one year out from the launch of their satellites. Like many satellite efforts these predictions seem to slide rather easily, with the project originally slated for a late 2010 launch. The O3b website has more detail on the low-altitude technology for those interested.