There's a new snipping problem that is starting to plague an Internet delivered through cables running underground, but Mark Zuckerberg thinks the future of the Internet is in the sky.
The Facebook chief is looking specifically at lasers, drones and satellites to deliver the Internet to remote parts of the globe that remain unconnected through his Internet.org initiative. On his own Facebook page, Zuckerberg announced a new Facebook project that he says will give Internet speeds a huge boost.
"As part of our Internet.org efforts, we're working on ways to use drones and satellites to connect the billion people who don't live in range of existing wireless networks," he said. "Our Connectivity Lab is developing a laser communication system that can beam data from the sky into communities. This will dramatically increase the speed of sending data over long distances."
The decision to use drones, lasers and satellites is not new. Zuckerberg himself revealed in March 2014 how his team was building the technology to deliver Internet from the sky, and several countries are already benefiting from the free but limited connectivity they get through Internet.org's partnerships with local providers.
However, this is the first time Zuckerberg has revealed the technology that powers Internet.org, showing images of a laser system that can beam Internet signals down to Earth. The images show visible lasers in red and green, but that is only for demonstration purposes so people know they are working. In the real world, the lasers will be invisible. Zuckerberg says the laser system is "just one connectivity project we're working on."
In March, Facebook announced that it was testing the use of an unmanned aircraft the size of a Boeing 737's wingspan to beam Internet signals to the most remote corners of the world. Running on nothing but solar power, the aircraft could go up to altitudes of 60,000 feet and could stay in the sky for several months.
Earlier this month, Facebook followed in Google's footsteps and dropped plans to deliver Internet via low-Earth orbit satellites, citing the high financial cost and low data speeds that would prevent the companies from recouping their investments.
Although Zuckerberg says Internet.org is for charity, there is still the underlying business case for bringing another billion people into the Internet. With more people going online, there is also the chance to get more people into Facebook, and that means more eyeballs for Facebook to show more ads and get more money rolling in from the advertisers.
