Interesting move by Facebook, according to tech blogger, Peter Diamandis.
As you read, you will notice they named their drone, Aquila. Aquila is Latin for Eagle.
“A few weeks ago, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announced, “As part of our Internet.org effort to connect the world, we’ve designed unmanned aircraft that can beam Internet access down to people from the sky.”
They’ve completed a scaled-down test flight of these aircraft in the U.K.
The final design will have a wingspan greater than a Boeing 737 but will weigh less than a car.
It will be powered by solar panels on its wings and will be able to stay at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for months at a time.
As Zuck goes on, “Aircraft like these will help connect the whole world because they can affordably serve the 10% of the world’s population that live in remote communities without existing Internet infrastructure.”
The boomerang shaped drone is called Aquila, and it is part of Facebook’s plan to bring Web access to underserved countries through its Internet.org initiative.
Under the program, the drones would fly over areas where Internet access is either unavailable or spotty at best.
Internet.org is looking into a wide range of technologies, including lasers and satellites, which could be used to beam Internet access to people around the globe.”
