Aquila, Facebook's Internet drone (Photo : YouTube)
Can Facebook connect the world to the web? The company demonstrated on March 25, Wednesday, its plans to connect billions of people worldwide using a solar-powered laser-beaming drone called "Aquila."
A lightweight, unmanned V-shaped vehicle, "Aquila" could give the remaining 5 billion people worldwide access to the Internet.
The social media giant showed off its new aircraft at a San Francisco developer conference. Aquila can remain in flight for a maximum of three months.
Facebook's drone has the wingspan of a Boeing 767 plane but also the weight of a small car, according to New York Times. Its development helps the social network king to demonstrate that it has a vision for dominating the Internet.
Facebook hopes to connect the remaining 5 billion people in the world by using more than 1,000 drones. They would use lasers to zap high-speed data from 60,000 to 9,000 feet (18,300 to 27,400 meters) above Earth, to extremely remote areas worldwide.
Facebook's Connectivity Lab head Yael Maguire said that the company wants to serve "every person" in the world. Everyone on Earth could then get the same message "at once," according to CBS San Francisco.
Facebook is planning to test its new solar-powered drones in the summer.
Google announced earlier this month that its company Titan has scheduled its drone's maiden voyage for this year. It will provide Internet service to people below on the ground.
Google's drone is an "atmospheric satellite," which can fly at high altitudes for lengthy periods. The search engine leader is now developing an ultra-light drone that hovers in the Earth's stratosphere for long periods of time.
Ed Lazowska, chairperson of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, said that companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon are exploring "completely new" ideas. A world of FB friends is certainly one of them.
