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Facebook Successfully Tests Laser Internet Drones

Posted by Soulskill on from the because-social-networks-need-laser-drones-for-stuff dept.

rtoz writes: At its F8 conference in San Francisco, Facebook announced the first hardware it plans to use to beam the Internet down to billions of people around the world. Codenamed "Aquila," the solar-powered drone has a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 737, but weighs less than a small car. It will be powered by solar panels on its wings, and it will be able to stay at altitudes of more than 60,000 feet for months at a time. Facebook says it'll begin test flights this summer, with a broader rollout over the next several years. The drones were tested over the UK recently, and everything worked as expected.

7 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. uh huh by Thud457 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "internet". yeah right. You're not fooling anybody Zuckerberg.

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    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  2. too much crap by eedwardsjr · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So I assume we can expect this airspace to become cluttered like LEO satellite space? The only exception is when these crash, they come down when I high risk of killing people.

    1. Re:too much crap by rot26 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Oh come on now. It won't be any worse than being struck by a small car at terminal velocity.

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      To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
  3. Great alternative to rural areas by rodrigoandrade · · Score: 4, Informative

    Mod me down into oblivion if you must, but not everyone lives in Seoul, Tokyo, Stockholm, or NYC with insanely fast fiber optics.

    This is going to be great for people in rural areas, developing countries, and others who otherwise would remain hostages to the poor reliability and high latency of radio and satellite internet.

    1. Re:Great alternative to rural areas by retroworks · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No, they should mod you up. It is easy to write snarky and cynical comments... they can generate them without having to RTFA. Obviously Facebook makes its money on eyeballs / participants. Why can't this just be a win-win? By expanding access to higher speed internet, Facebook increases its potential market. What's the difference between that and increasing distribution of any product a segment of the marketplace needs?

      The USA Highway system was built in part by the distribution needs of corporations. But we are all free to drive our cars and motorcycles on it. Should we not have built the roads because a corporation was going to profit from it? It's called "development".

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      Gently reply
  4. Re:Issue by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Informative

    I feel like an airship would be a lot more effective and safe for this purpose. Why doesn't anyone talk about that? Why always fixed wing drone technology?

    Why, indeed?

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  5. Troll prevention? by Pascoea · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Laser Internet Drones" Am I the only one that read this as a really good way to prevent trolls on Facebook?