Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has jubilantly reported on his Facebook page that the company has tasted success in its maiden test for Internet-beaming drones in the UK. Through the technology titan’s initiative of Internet.org, a project aimed at connecting people around the globe, a path-breaking strategy has emerged which seeks to emanate Internet access directly from the skies.
Sharing exhilarating details about Facebook’s Connectivity Lab, an outfit tirelessly working on developing drones, satellites, and lasers for seamless internet delivery to all, Zuckerberg outlined their endpoint. “Our objective with Internet.org is to ensure every person in the world can enjoy affordable access to basic Internet services,” Zuckerberg elucidated.
Zuckerberg’s enthusiastic post also highlighted the significant strides the project has made over the past year. Specifically, in the Philippines and Paraguay, the number of people using mobile data has doubled through partnerships with local operators, assisting an impressive three million people in accessing the internet.
Zuckerberg’s post added, “We’ve got our hands full with establishing more partnerships, but to connect the entire world, we need to innovate and invent new technology. Our Connectivity Lab is always up to the task, and we’ve got lots more thrilling tasks ahead.”
Facebook’s elite team, featuring several leading experts in aerospace and communications technology — including alumni from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Ames Research Center, now welcomes key members from Ascenta. Ascenta, a petite UK-based company that birthed the Zephyr — the world’s longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft — is joining forces with Facebook’s connectivity aircraft team.
An exciting report from Belfast Telegraph revealed that these solar-powered drones, developed by Ascenta, are designed to fly for months without requiring landing and operate at altitudes over 60,000ft — well above the cruising altitude of commercial flights. Ascenta, led by engineer Andrew Cox, had been acquired by Facebook in March 2014 for a princely sum of £12 million.
This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.
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