The Facebook satellite is all set to become a reality. Mark Zuckerberg's worldwide Internet project is poised to be taken to new heights, specifically geostationary orbit. The social media behemoth has announced a collaboration with French firm Eutelsat, which will revolve around launching a satellite into space next year in order to bring the Internet to millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The satellite itself is dubbed the AMOS-6 and is already under construction. It is designed specifically to fill in the gaps in Internet access around West, East and Southern Africa that cannot quite be taken care of by mobile and fixed networks.
The Facebook satellite is set to begin operating in the second half of 2016, at which time Facebook and Eutelsat will team up with local partners to connect more Africans to the Internet.
Internet-Beaming Satellites
The Facebook Satellite Will Bring Internet Access to Africa
Trend Themes
1. Geostationary Orbit Internet - Leverage technology to build and launch more geostationary orbit satellites to provide stable internet access to remote areas.
2. Collaborative Satellite Projects - Strengthen private-public partnerships to finance and implement collaborative satellite projects.
3. Satellite-based Infrastructure Development - Explore satellite technology advancement to build smarter infrastructure in developing regions.
Industry Implications
1. Satellite Industry - Opportunity to provide affordable satellite solution for developing countries.
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3. Social Media Industry - Satellite technology provides social media businesses an opportunity to expand their user base by providing internet access in new markets.