Facebook’s Boeing737-like aircraft to connect remote areas to internet

Facebook’s Connectivity Lab team has announced the completion of an aircraft called, Aquila; which has a wingspan of a boeing737, it will be able to connect people in remote areas to the internet for a period of three months.

The announcement was made byJay Parikh, VP of Global Engineering and Infrastructure through a post on Facebook’s Newsroom, whereby it explains what the aircraft will be used for and how it will work, sighting the achievement as a company milestone.

“Aquila has the wingspan of a 737 but weighs hundreds of times less, thanks to its unique design and carbon-fiber frame,” the post read, “when deployed, it will be able to circle a remote region for up to 90 days, beaming connectivity down to people from an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 feet. The announcement was made through a post on Facebook’s official Newsroom, whereby the name of the aircraft is given as Aquila.” It continued

A full-scale version of Aquila has been completed by Facebook’s team and is currently ready for flight testing. The aircraft was designed by Facebook’s aerospace team in the UK.

The post also announced another accomplishment by their communications team that will also help in Internet connection.

“Our laser communications team in Woodland Hills, California, has achieved a significant performance breakthrough. They’ve designed and lab-tested a laser that can deliver data at 10s of GB per second to a target the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away.” The post added.

“We are now starting to test these lasers in real-world conditions. When finished, our laser communications system can be used to connect our aircraft with each other and with the ground, making it possible to create a stratospheric network that can extend to even the remotest regions of the world,” the post stated.