Will Work With Partners On Connectivity For People In Remote Areas

Facebook has abandoned its efforts to use a high-altitude solar-powered drone to relay internet connectivity to people living in remote areas without such service.

Facebook began its efforts in 2014. On its blog, the company said it developed an aircraft, known as Aquila, as well as other technologies to deliver wireless internet connectivity to remote areas. In 2016, one of its aircraft suffered a wing failure while attempting to land, which the NTSB attributed to strong winds. The flight was the first for the full-scale test aircraft. The company continued its development, and conducted additional successful test flight.

But now, it is giving up on the effort and closing the plant in Bridgewater in the U.K. "As we've worked on these efforts, it's been exciting to see leading companies in the aerospace industry start investing in this technology too — including the design and construction of new high-altitude aircraft. Given these developments, we've decided not to design or build our own aircraft any longer, and to close our facility in Bridgwater," the company said.

"Going forward, we'll continue to work with partners like Airbus on HAPS connectivity generally, and on the other technologies needed to make this system work, like flight control computers and high-density batteries. On the policy front, we’ll be working on a proposal for 2019 World Radio Conference to get more spectrum for HAPS, and we'll be actively participating in a number of aviation advisory boards and rule-making committees in the US and internationally.

"Connectivity for everyone, everywhere is one of the great challenges of our generation. Facebook has already connected nearly 100 million people as a result of our efforts. And we are continuing to invest in developing next-generation technologies like Terragraph, working with partners on new infrastructure builds like our fiber project in Uganda, and supporting entrepreneurs in programs like Express Wi-Fi — all to help connect the 4 billion people who still do not have access to the Internet. We're excited about what's next."

(Source: Facebook. Images from file)

FMI: code.facebook.com/posts/190457848334738