Facebook to use drones, satellites to provide Internet everywhere
Facebook wants to connect remote areas of the world to the Internet with drones, lasers and satellites.
Facebook Inc is harnessing drone,
satellite and other technology in an effort to spread Internet to
under-developed regions. The social networking giant stated that it has
hired aerospace and communications experts from NASA's Jet Propulsion
Lab and its Ames Research Center for its new "Connectivity Lab" project.
Facebook had started Internet.org in
partnership with some other companies, last year to spread the internet.
The company is working experimenting with drones that are capable of
beaming internet from the sky. The organization aims to bring down the
cost of internet connectivity.
"In our effort to connect the whole
world with Internet.org, we've been working on ways to beam internet to
people from the sky," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook.
"Our team has many of the world's
leading experts in aerospace and communications technology, including
from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and Ames Research Center. Today we are
also bringing on key members of the team from Ascenta, a small UK-based
company whose founders created early versions of Zephyr, which became
the world's longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft. They will
join our team working on connectivity aircraft."
The announcement comes a day after Facebook announced the acquisition of Oculus Rift,
a company that specializes in virtual reality products for $ 2 Billion.
Mark Zuckerberg, stated that it plans to use Oculus' technologies to
expand in "communications, media and entertainment, education and other
areas".
Last year Google announced plans to use solar-powered balloons to deliver Internet access to remote regions of the globe. Google's Project Loon,
supported Internet-beaming antennas on top of giant helium balloons
placed in the stratosphere, that can create a wireless network with 3G
like speeds.
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