Facebook’s first drone tests a success, says Zuckerberg
Facebook’s first test flights for solar-powered internet drone have been successful, the company’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has revealed.
The drones are part of Facebook’s internet.org project, which looks to bring connectivity to the two thirds of the global population that currently have no access to the internet.
The drones circle an area from an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 feet and use lasers to beam internet signals to the ground.
Zuckerberg said of the project: “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 can affordably serve the 10 per cent of the world’s population that live in remote communities without existing internet infrastructure.”
The drones, which Zuckerberg claimed were “relatively cheap” to build, were tested in British airspace.