However, these political and social barriers to access do not necessarily tell us about the physical extent of the internet itself. Assuming you had the right device and the political freedom, is there anywhere left on Earth where the labyrinth of cable and wireless signals does not reach?

Answering this question begins with an explanation of the various tiers of internet access. The primary mechanisms for getting online are wired connections, mobile networks and satellites. Fibre-optic cables make up the core of the internet, criss-crossing oceans and land. The first of those communications cables were put down in the 1850s for carrying telegraph signals. Today they connect all continents except Antarctica, and include many – but not all – small island nations.

Mobile connections, meanwhile, rely on cell phone towers. And these can have an impressive reach. “Two years ago I was in the Sahara, and for quite a large amount of time I had access,” Graham-Cumming says. “It was patchy and slow, but it was there.” Indeed, many developing countries, especially in Africa, rely predominantly on mobile connections for accessing the internet.

Finally, satellites are the slowest means of getting online, but the only choice for those living far from a cell phone tower or wire. The Iridium satellite constellation coverage extends over the entire world, and their satellite phones can wire you up in otherwise unconnected places, such as national parks in the US, Antarctica or isolated spots of land like the Cook Islands. “If you live out in the sticks somewhere, it makes no sense for your local telecom provider to run a fibre to your house or farm,” says David Belson, editor of the quarterly State of the Internet report at Akamai, one of the world’s largest content delivery networks. “So in many cases satellite is the optimal solution, although it may not be the fastest one.” Sheer distance explains that delay: from the equator, for instance, data needs to travel about 22,000 miles (35,000km) between satellite and user.