Traditional communication satellites orbit the Earth at an altitude of around 35,000 km, which can limit signal strength and bandwidth. O3b will use cheaper medium earth orbit (MEO) satellites with an altitude of around 10,000 km, which will provide a stronger signal. O3b has already begun production of the 16 satellites. Once operational, it will provide speeds of up to ten gigabits per second, comparable to speeds available in the developed world. As demand increases, more satellites will be launched.

O3b will deal with telecom companies in developing countries, who will then provide services to individual users. Financial backers for the system are Google , Liberty Global and HSBC who aim to tap into large, emerging markets in developing countries.