Facebook Internet Drones Delivery and Future Plans

Forget about conventional Cloud Technology and Drone Technology. Get ready for the Facebook Drone Delivery. Facebook Drones concept has moved step forward toward the reality after Titan Facebook drone deal.

This effort to deliver Internet Connectivity through drone technology would help paddle internet.org campaign by the facebook.com. The campaign is aimed at providing internet access to every person in the world. According to recent data, some 5 billions people in the world still do not have an internet access, mostly in places such as Africa and Asia.

The high-flying solar drones would give Facebook the ability to beam wireless Internet access to consumers in undeveloped parts of the world.

Mark Zuckerberg had in the recent past spoken about Facebook becoming the dial-tone of the Internet, and had also announced the buyout of the popular cross-platform messaging service WhatsApp for a staggering $19 billion.

But if reports are to be believed, then all this is a part of Zuckerberg’s and Facebook’s long term plan to bring free Internet to the world, as the social-networking giant is said to be in acquisition talks with Titan Aerospace.

Facebook Internet Drones Delivery

Facebook has been in talks to buy Titan Aerospace and Skyvision Services. However, as expected both Facebook and Titan Chief Executive Vern Raburn declined to comment on whether Facebook was buying the company or a large order of its planes.

Titan is developing a variety of solar-powered "atmospheric satellites", according to the company’s website, with initial commercial operations slated for 2015. The drones, which fly at an altitude of 65,000 feet (20 km) and can remain aloft for up to five years and have a 165-foot (50-metre) wingspan, slightly shorter than that of a Boeing 777.

Facebook, which has 1.2 billion monthly users, has partnered with numerous wireless providers in recent years to offer free or discounted access to the social network. But some, such as Vodafone (VOD.L), have balked at waiving their wireless data rates for Facebook.

According to a report by TechCrunch, Facebook, being one of the main supporters of the Internet.org initiative, will make use of drones that are produced by Titan Aerospace to reach out to parts of the world that have little or no access to the Internet. The report states the Solara 50 and Solara 60 drone models developed by Titan Aerospace will be used by Facebook. The deal is valued around $60 million according to the report, which also states that the company will build 11,000 of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Facebook.

The UAVs manufactured by Titan Aerospace can stay in flight for five years without the need for landing or a refuel. This would be imperative for projects undertaken by Internet.org in the forthcoming future. The project will be competing with Google’s own Project Loon, which is working on a similar idea save for the fact that it would involve balloons and not aircraft. Facebook in the event the deal materializes and the project takes off, will be offering a lot to the developing world. The report suggests that it might even revamp the newly acquired WhatsApp so that people can send messages in these parts of the world, if not anything else.

Facebook Future Plans

Facebook Internet Drones is a long term plan for sure to outshine Google. Many ask why Facebook would even care about getting under developed parts of the world on the Internet if they currently have such little buying power that it’s hard to make money off of ads shown to them.

Facebook is playing the long game. With 5 billion users missing internet, Facebook hopes that with time, when they gain affordable access to the Internet, they will join the knowledge economy and gain more buying power, facebook ultimately benefiting back.

If Facebook can use Titan drones or atmospheric satellites to be a user's first experience on the internet, facebook through its social networking services is likely to get deeply involved not only in their personal lives, but also becoming a channel for shopping and trade too.