Initially, the tether will be very small and light-weight. robot 'climber' designs, powered by beamed energy from groundside stations, will be the basic workhorses to carry instrument packages, materials for tether expansion, and sattelites to Geosynchonus orbit.
The tether anchor will be attached to an ocean platform, similar in design to large ocean drilling rigs in design, that will be positioned at or very near the equator.
The next progression in development, once the tether(s) have been increased in size/support capacity, will be man-rated climbers, and the construction of tether-based facilities for longer-term human occupancy; exotic materials manufacturing, pharmecuetical labs, and earth-science research installations will proliferate. Even 'space hotels' are in the early planning stages.
