In a Sunday report, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said that plans are apparently underway at Google to spend an amount of more than $1 billion on its new satellite Internet initiative.

The WSJ report said that the spending planned by Google will largely go towards the deployment of the company's own armada of satellites for ensuring that Internet access becomes accessible in the thus-far-unwired regions of the world.

Though the report has pointed out that Google has not yet worked out the specifics of the $1 billion spending on satellites Internet initiative, it has disclosed that as many as 180 small, high-capacity satellites will be launched by Google into orbit at a lower altitude as compared to conventional satellites.

The number of satellites will probably be further increased in the future. Depending on the number of new satellites Google plans to launch in the next phase of satellite deployment, the company's spending may increase to $3 billion.

Noting that Google's planned spending on the satellite Internet initiative marks the latest effort by a tech firm to provide Internet access to users residing in regions which do not have the requisite infrastructure, Susan Irwin - president of satellite-communications research firm Irwin Communications Inc. - told WSJ: "Wired connectivity only goes so far and wireless cellular networks reach small areas. Satellites can gain much broader access."