Facebook has recently announced “The Connectivity Lab” initiative in conjunction with Internet.org. Including various mobile phone companies as well as experts from Ascenta and NASA’s jet propulsion laboratory, the ‘Lab’ is exploring a variety of new aerospace and communication technologies – from high-altitude long-endurance planes to advanced laser systems – with hopes of bringing affordably efficient internet access to 100% of the world’s population. Its strategies will include different types of platforms specific to all ranges of population densities. For instance, in limited geographical areas, unmanned solar-powered aircrafts will provide internet by acting as a relay between satellites and users on the ground. What’s more is that this initiative will employ free space optical communication beams that use light to transmit data, thus boosting internet speeds dramatically at much less the power of other systems. To learn more about Internet.org and its programs, please visit here.
