Facebook in partnership with Eutelsat is working to provide free internet services to remote areas of Africa , starting in 2016.
The two companies are working on building a high-performance satellite system, which is based on Eutelsat.
Scheduled to begin operations in the second half of 2016, the advanced satellite system will cover large parts of sub-Saharan Africa.
This collaboration is part of Facebook's Internet.org project, which aims to provide free Internet access to people living in remote areas of the world.
While many have criticized Internet.org as a means of attracting new users to the social network, let's not forget that the company's project allows people in remote areas to use the internet to read news, get weather information, and access basic health information.
Last June, Facebook announced that it was abandoning its plans to build its own satellite, largely due to the high development costs. The rumored cost was around $1 million, which ultimately contributed to the project's cancellation.
“Facebook’s mission is to connect the world, and we believe satellites will play an important role in addressing the major barriers that limit people in Africa from connecting,” said Chris Daniels, vice president of Internet.org. “We look forward to working with Eutelsat on this project and exploring new ways to use satellites to connect people in the most remote areas of the world even more effectively,” he added.
Currently, Eutelsat provides satellite coverage in Europe, North and South America, Russia, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.
