Facebook today has introduced ‘Connectivity’ which is its new umbrella organization that contains the company’s various Internet-for-all projects including the Internet.org. The aim of Connectivity is to bring internet access to the 4 billion people who still don’t have it and improve internet infrastructure in less-connected parts of the world.
This project in short looks like a collective endeavor to link people who lack internet access that was started by the Internet.org back in 2013 which is its first step to start connecting the unconnected parts of the world. This initiative is also the home of Facebook’s “high-altitude platform” projects for beaming down Wi-Fi lasers to unconnected.
Facebook back in June said that it is no longer building aircrafts like Aquila, but that it will continue to work with partner companies like the aerospace manufacturer Airbus to invest in that kind of technology and to increase access via towers and satellites. It is also announcing new analytics tools that gives more insights of even more user data to aid wireless operators and mobile device makers.
Another tool on the list is the Actionable Insights. It collects information about network coverage and download speeds from Facebook users. The Connectivity group’s projects include Terragraph, which aims to connect high-density urban areas; OpenCellular, an open-source platform working on rural connectivity; and the Telecom Infra Project, a joint initiative with the wireless industry for creating faster networks.
Yael Maguire, vice president of engineering for Facebook Connectivity, said:
There’s no silver bullet for connecting the world. There isn’t going to be a magic technology or business plan or single regulatory policy change that’s going to change this. We really believe that it is a wide and diverse set of efforts that’s required to do this.