But the U.N. now admits, that’s not going to happen. In fact, overall Internet access growth is expected to dip by .5% this year. For advocates like Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, that’s bad news. His goal of “connecting everyone” via Internet is “one of the fundamental challenges of our generation,” he said. Internet access, he believes, could end extreme poverty. One problem is cost. Or, as the U.N. puts it: “In many of the world’s poorest countries, where broadband could potentially have the greatest benefit in terms of bridging development gaps, even basic broadband service remains prohibitively expensive.” Another hurdle: Many nations include huge wilderness areas where hard-wire delivery systems like landlines and towers don’t exist. Some say the solution consists of just two words: Look up. Google, Facebook, SpaceX and other outfits plan to beam the Internet from either low-orbiting satellites or high-flying drones and balloons. Here’s a quick rundown of four big players: OneWeb What: A company called OneWeb aims to launch a more than 600 tiny satellites designed to beam high-speed Internet down to Earth. Where: The satellites will orbit about 750 miles high. That’s much closer to Earth than current Internet providing satellites, which are now 22,000 miles away. That shorter distance will speed up delivery of the signal. Who’s behind it: OneWeb is led by Greg Wyler and backed by Virgin Galactic businessman Richard Branson. “It could dramatically help close the wealth gap,” Branson told CNN. How much: Initial estimates run from $1.5 billion to $2 billion, Wyler told CNN. When: The service is expected to begin by 2019. SpaceX What: SpaceX, which already serves the International Space Station, plans to put 4,000 small, low-cost, disposable satellites into orbit. Where: Like OneWeb, SpaceX’s satellites would orbit about 750 miles above the Earth to allow for faster service. Who’s behind it: SpaceX CEO and PayPal co-founder Elon Musk told Motherboard in July he thinks “the long-term potential of it is pretty great.” The “communications technology will be substantially more advanced” than existing satellite Internet projects, Musk said.