OLPC offered free satellite connections

A satellite operator has donated $2m to the OLPC project

SES Global has promised to donate capacity on its satellite network to the One Laptop per Child project. 

The Luxembourg-based satellite operator has joined the project, which aims to bring notebook computers to children in developing nations, as a corporate partner.

SES Global has made a $2m cash donation and promised to provide capacity on its global satellite network free of charge.

The company will also assist in the development of a satellite dish base station that will be placed in remote villages to connect laptop computers to the internet.

A spokesman for the company was unable to provide a monetary figure for the total donation.

The One Laptop per Child initiative is an education project headed up by Nicholas Negroponte of the MIT Media Lab. 

It aims to produce a low cost notebook computer for children in developing nations, allowing them to pick up programming skills and enhance their education through the use of the internet.

The laptops are expected to launch under the name '2B1' some time early next year at a cost of about $140 per unit. The project is currently testing early developer boards and will not take any orders until the evaluation phase has been completed.

The laptops are powered by an AMD processor and run an adapted version of Fedora Linux. They will connect to the internet through a Wi-Fi mesh network.

• A video of the first working OLPC prototype is available on the Silicon Valley Sleuth blog.