San Francisco: Facebook Inc is harnessing satellite, drone and other technology. This initiative has been taken up to beam Internet connectivity to people in underdeveloped parts of the world.
It has hired aerospace and communications experts from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab and its Ames Research Center for the new 'Connectivity Lab' project.
"Today, we're sharing some details of the work Facebook's Connectivity Lab is doing to build drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook Chief Executive. The move extends the social networking company's Internet.org effort, aimed at connecting billions of people who do not currently have Internet access in places such as Africa and Asia. Facebook has been working with telecommunications carriers to make Internet access more available and affordable.
"We're going to continue building these partnerships, but connecting the whole world will require inventing new technology too," added Zuckerberg.
Facebook envisions a fleet of solar-powered drones as well as low-earth orbit and geosynchronous satellites delivering Internet access to different regions of the world. Invisible, infrared laser beams could allow Facebook to dramatically boost the speed of the Internet connections provided by the various aircraft, Facebook said on a Web page that explaining the project.
It also plans to take to the skies underscore the company's rising ambitions to exert its influence beyond the confines of its 1.2 billion-member social network and to set the pace for new technology that will shape society.
