Facebook announced last week that it had completed a test flight of its solar-powered drone as part of its internet.org program to beam internet service everywhere especially the remote parts our planet. Named Aquila, it has a wings like a commercial aircraft and was able to fly at 60,000 feet on about 5,000 watts of power for about 96 minutes.
The end game according to the post is to have several of such drones flying in future for a three month stretch while communicating with each other to deliver internet service to intended areas.
While Facebook says the test in itself was a success, it noted some challenges ahead like;
Speed which it noted that because of its size, it is only limited to speeds of about 80 miles/ 128Km per hour.
There’s also the possible challenge of battery power because this as clearly tested at a time of abundant sunshine. What happens in winter for example? It means for them to function at expected levels, much more power would need to be stored than usual.
One immediate challenge would be the cost of mass producing the current complete system and according to Facebook, “for Aquila to succeed, it needs to be an economically viable alternative to current network infrastructure. We need to develop more efficient onboard power and communication systems; ensure the aircraft are resilient to structural damage to reduce maintenance costs, and able to stay aloft for long periods of time to keep fleet numbers low; and minimize the amount of human supervision associated with their operation. We’re working with the industry on ways to accelerate the development of new technologies that can drastically change the economics of deploying internet infrastructure.”
Facebook is joining a list of tech companies that rely on clean and renewable energy for power. Facebook is also investing in a 200 Megawatt wind power project “and like its immediate predecessor, Fort Worth (Texas) will be powered by 100% renewable energy, thanks to the 200 MW of new wind energy we helped bring to the Texas grid as part of this deal.
Facebook is not alone in the quest to bring internet service to remote areas of the world as Google is doing through its Project Loon. They are using Balloons for internet service provision to some of the remotest parts of the world.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
