Facebook Eyeing India to Set up Base for Aquila Internet Drones

Facebook is tying up with companies for its project “Express Wi-Fi” to provide broadband services in rural areas.

Facebook’s Aquila. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook screen grab)

Facebook has begun talks with the Indian government and telecom companies to come up with potential programmes that will use its solar-powered plane called Aquila for providing infrastructure for affordable mobile internet access in remote areas, as reported by the Economic Times.

The company has already started tying up with companies for its project “Express Wi-Fi” for providing broadband services in rural areas.

Having fibre-like speeds in places without fibre and making it available to anybody is the reason why there’s so much interest in Aquila. We have begun discussions with telecom operators to see which ones might be interested.

Robert Pepper, Connectivity Public Policy Director, Facebook

Companies which find it difficult to create the infrastructure for providing services in rural areas, due to its lack of demand, can use Aquila for delivering mobile broadband.

Once sufficient demand is generated, the telecos can build their own infrastructure and the Aquila planes can be shifted elsewhere.

Facebook tested its first Aquila over Yuma, Arizona, in June.

Aquila is a solar-powered airplane/drone with a wingspan of 141 ft, wider than a Boeing 737, and with it Facebook aims to lower the cost of internet provision. Each plane can stay afloat for 90 days at a time and send internet signals to a radius of 96 km.

Aquila can be used for providing internet to areas where the optical fibre network hasn’t reached yet.

Source: Economic Times