Facebook to test internet connection via lasers in remote areas

Facebook is testing a method to deliver internet to remote areas via lasers. The lasers can pump data at tens of gigabits per second, while reaching coin-sized hardware more than 10 miles away.

According to Facebook, the connection via the laser is tens of times faster than what is now considered state-of-the-art in the industry. With the lasers, Facebook wants to connect internet drones to each other and to the ground in order to set up a network in remote areas of the world.

Facebook has only tested the lasers in a lab, so how they function outside of that is still unknown. To this end, the company will conduct tests with the technology. Accurate aiming allows the internet drones to communicate with each other remotely with a high-speed connection.

The internet drones called Aquila are to fly at altitudes between 18 and 27 kilometers, well above where regular airplanes fly. As a result, they should not be bothered by storms. A balloon should take them to those heights. The power comes from solar panels. They should last two to three months per flight.

The drones send the signal to the ground, where dishes and antennas have to receive it and convert it into regular WiFi or mobile networks, which work with current smartphones, tablets and laptops. A single drone must cover an area with a radius of fifty kilometers.

However, the social network says it has no plans to become a provider. It will only provide the backend and then regular providers will have to offer services over the infrastructure. Facebook says it still has a long way to go before it can bring internet connectivity to remote areas. It would be years before the network for remote areas is operational.