Facebook Sidesteps Balloons and Goes for Satellites
October 23, 2018
How can Facebook elevate its trust factor? Forget gliders. Facebook is now into satellites.
The Verge shares how Facebook wants to bring the Internet to the world in, “Facebook Is Developing An Internet Satellites After Shutting Down Drone Project.”
According to an application filed with FCC, Facebook has registered company called PointView Tech, LLC. and is working on a satellite called Athena. Athena will ideally be used to provide Internet broadband services to unserved and underserved areas around the world. Athena is the Greek goddess of wisdom. It is a fitting name, because the satellite Athena will spread wisdom and information.
Facebook had planned to use drones to bring Internet access through the Aquila project, but this was shunted. Aquila will instead focus on designing onboard software systems to guide the satellite.
“Now, it sounds like Facebook will continue to try and develop its own hardware, just a different variety this time. According to a September 2017 report on broadband development, more than half of Earth is still not online, and that the only way to do so would be to use low Earth orbit satellites that sit in space about 100 to 1,250 miles above the surface. There’s already a booming industry around satellite internet, with key players like SpaceX investing heavily in the space to become the new internet service providers of an untapped market. SpaceX launched its first satellites back in February.”
The article also points out that Facebook has ulterior motives in bringing the Internet to underserved and unserved areas. Facebook heads to space.
Whitney Grace, October 23, 2018
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