Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that the internet should be open to all and based on this strong belief, Facebook is developing ...
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg believes that the internet should be open to all and based on this strong belief, Facebook is developing a new laser communication system that would beam data to the inaccessible parts of the world while being mounted on huge and massive solar-powered drones. Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page: “As part of our internet.org efforts, we are working on ways to use drones and satellites to connect the billion people who don’t live in a range of existing wireless networks.”
The drones that Zuckerberg wants to mount his laser communication system on are known as Aquila which is actually solar powered aircraft equivalent to the size of Boeing 737. These aircrafts will hover at an altitude of 60,000 feet for months at a time. While loitering around at this altitude, these will beam data to and from ground stations. According to Zuckerberg, the speed of sending data across long distances will be dramatically increased using this technology.
This whole exercise in turn aims to increase Facebook’s advertising revenue as the plan includes linking up everyone in the world to internet. No date has yet been finalised about the deployment of this laser system considering various factors like the high costs of lasers-in-the-sky and getting satellite stations installed in remote areas. According to Zuckerberg, other connectivity options are also under consideration.
