Moscow startup Yaliny is hoping to raise $1 million on Indiegogo so it can jump start its plan to create a satellite-based phone and Internet service that offers unlimited on-network service, Internet access and incoming calls for only $10 per month. The company promises outgoing calls "will be cheaper than usual VoIP rates (like Skype)."
Yaliny's Indiegogo FAQ does not mention what spectrum its service would use or which country's telecom regulator would oversee it.
Key to the company's plan is the Yaliny Point, basically a mobile hotspot for satellite service that will sell for $150. It is a small, pocket-size device that uses Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to pair with a smartphone, linking it directly to its planned network of 135 small, low-earth-orbit communications satellites.
"One of the most important points about our satellites is they should be fairly light and small enough to be stacked in one large rocket such as Falcon Heavy. We're designing them exactly that way - to do just one launch. This will cut initial funding required to create an infrastructure, so we'll be able to provide cheaper services," the company said.
Yaliny's Indiegogo campaign started on April 22 and will close on June 6, 2014. As of April 27, Yaliny had raised just under $1,200. For more, see this Indiegogo web page.