| Developers: | |
| Date of the premiere of the system: | 2013 |
| Last Release Date: | 2017/05/22 |
Content |
Internet.org is the project for development of the world Internet infrastructure.
2018: Facebook refused the project of distribution of the Internet from drones
Facebook does not intend to design own air drones any more for the organization of Internet access which are a part of the Aquila project started four years ago. It in June, 2018 in careful expressions and with the big preface was announced by Yael Maguire, the director of Facebook of an engineering part who published in the blog article under the name "High-rise communication: the new head"[1].
The Aquila project assumed start in a stratosphere of large drones which will partially work at solar energy that long time without landing will allow them to fly and to provide LTE communication in remote and hardly accessible regions of the planet. Audience accumulation of Facebook at the expense of new Internet users was an ultimate goal of the project, writes the The Verge edition.
Initially the Aquila project developed the British space engineer Andrew Cox. Facebook redeemed the Ascenta company belonging to Cox in 2014 for $20 million, and attached it to the Internet.org project which purpose was a distribution of Internet access in the world. A day before a release of the publication of Maguire the Business Insider edition reported that in May Cox ceased to work in Facebook.
Reasons of liquidation of the project
Maguire reports in the blog that efforts of Facebook on creation of drones for distribution of the Internet drew attention of the large aircraft-building companies which began to invest in similar technologies, including designing of own devices of the same appointment. With respect thereto Facebook decided to refuse the idea to build drones independently. The company intends to close the platform in Bridgewater in Great Britain where the devices Aquila are designed.
Also Maguire told about some problems which the project faced. For example, he writes that the range available to drones is not suitable for the organization of broadband access owing to technical and geographical restrictions. At the World conference on radio in 2019 Facebook intends to suggest to select more than the frequencies for platforms of high-rise communication (HAPS).
2017: Aquila departed the second time
On June 30, 2017 the Facebook company announced the next, second flight of the Aquila drone created for distribution of the Internet in hardly accessible regions. Polet came to the end normally.
The previous testing ended with accident.
According to the statement of the company, weeds took place on May 22, 2017. The drone rose into the sky with a speed of 43 km/h and was airborne within 1 hour 46 minutes, having reached height of 914 m then landed on the airfield of a polygon near Yuma, the USA. The company claims - workers predicted wind speed better, than in the first flight[2].
Feature of Aquila - use of solar energy. Accumulators of the drone provide to it till 14 o'clock independent operation and are charged during flight. By calculations of the company, the device can be airborne up to 90 days. Expected height – from 18 to 27 thousand meters.
After unsuccessful first flight the company modified the device:
- on wings spoilers which helped to cope with wind at landing approach are added
- the horizontal mechanism of a stop of the propeller is installed that too promoted successful landing. * facing of the drone is executed of more smooth materials.
- Aquila equipped with additional software, sensors and improved means of a radio communication.
2013: Beginning of Internet.org
The Internet.org project began in 2013 when the Facebook company decided its means to begin development of Internet infrastructure worldwide. Factors of high cost of works and the low level of security of telecommunication infrastructure in the certain countries of the world led the company to the solution to use the pilotless flying devices (drones) for installation of access points on them.
Facebook decided to lay the foundation for development of Internet infrastructure in the developing countries of Africa, South America and the Southern Asia. Representatives of Facebook in these regions undertook risks of low profitability of business, having decided to give to the population in these regions an opportunity to use free of charge about 300 light versions of web services (including Facebook)[3].
 | We cannot accurately prove why we are going to invest billions of dollars in the fact that will help the poorest people to get access to network. But we believe what is that we should make, and we think that this correct solution which will bring us benefit in the future if we implement conceived. |  |
By calculations of specialists of Internet.org, an effective alternative for development of Internet infrastructure - drones. They are much cheaper than satellites, cover the large territory, than stationary towers and allow to increase power adding of devices.
In plans of Facebook company due to "delivery" of the Internet by means of drones, by 2030 to increase number of users of social network up to 3 billion.
The drone created for round-the-clock "distribution" of the free Internet received the name Aquila. It is created in Connectivity Lab with direct participation of specialists in space technologies from the British company Ascenta. During test flight on June 28, 2016 the drone held on in air of 96 minutes. Finally developers aim to increase time of autonomous flight up to three months - the drone should fly not only without landings, but also needlessly in maintenance. Electric motors of the UAV and set on it is mute network equipment it is supposed to provide with energy at the expense of the solar battery and special accumulators.
The scope of a wing of the drone is comparable with Boeing-737 and is 42 meters. It is powerful in a third of the electric car, this device is capable to gather speed to 128 km/h. The area of the territory which one such drone – from 40 to 80 km ² depending on flight altitude is capable to service.
It is supposed that drones will independently operate, without participation of the operator. The special ground station will transmit a signal to one of UAVs, and it, in turn, by means of lasers to transmit a signal to other devices. Drones should transmit the received signal to repeaters in a radius of 40-80 km which transforms it for Wi-Fi and 4G-networks.
To ensure the maximum safety of flight drones will fly at the height of 18300 meters where they will have no threat to face airliners. Also here air friction is less, and solar batteries will be quicker charged because of stay over a cloud layer. At the same time in the long term the device will have an opportunity to rise on bigger height (up to 27400 meters) what will allow to expand a coverage of each UAV (however in this case the speed of connection will decrease and it will be necessary to increase signal power)
The first successful flight of the drone is complete in the summer of 2016 in Yuma, the State of Arizona, the USA. In 96 minutes of tests developers received about 1 TB of data. Tests showed - drones are optimized as regards an electric power expense: they uses it no more, than the hair dryer for drying of hair. During flight the device at the height of 655 meters consumed 2 kW (at the hair dryer these indicators are from 1.5 to 2 kW). When the drone flies in actual practice, power consumption will increase to 5 kW.
The first flight of Aquila, (2016)
| | Actually to achieve an effective objective, flying over remote regions and providing communication on an extent up to three months, we still should break the stay record in the sky of unmanned aerial vehicles on solar batteries which makes two weeks now. It will demand considerable achievements in science and technology. Also we should work more closely with operators, the governments and other partners who will help us to use these aircraft in regions in which they will be able to be most effective. Jai Perikh, head of engineering and infrastructure department of Facebook | |
Telecommunication players joined the Internet.org project:
The project has opponents. Main - the governments.
At the beginning of 2016 legislature of India completely prohibited use of similar drones on the country, motivating it with protection of interests of national Internet service providers, not persons interested that their clients could connect free of charge to the web from Facebook. Earlier similar ban was imposed in Egypt. But there reason more serious. According to the authorities of Egypt, Facebook played a crucial role in the organization of demonstrations in 2011. Realizing the hidden danger in universal distribution of the Internet from Facebook, the authorities of the country decided to take preventive measures.
Project perspectives
In case of successful project implementation from the technology point of view, it can face political difficulties. Permission from the national authorities to a possibility of flights in airspace and permission to use of a frequency range is necessary. On approval of these questions I can leave years, experts noted. Regulators of the European countries and the USA only begin to study a security issue of similar flights.
| | Ahead enormous regulatory obstacles. All flight tests in the next years will be generally directed to convincing regulators of security of UAVs. Martin Gómez, director of the air navigation Facebook platform | |
The principle of "a network neutrality" operating between Internet service providers in the different countries has a significant impact. The free Internet from Facebook completely will destroy it that can lead to catastrophic effects for the telecommunication industry. Therefore the greatest emphasis within the project is now placed on territories where there is no wire or wireless network infrastructure or communication quality leaves much to be desired.
The Wall Street Journal reported in October, 2016 with reference to the director of the air navigation Facebook platform Martin Gómez - the company began negotiations with a number of the countries on practical testing of drones.
The first tests are planned for 2018. Nothing is known of such negotiations of Facebook in Russia. Specialists are skeptical about this part of the project - hardly in the conditions of a modern political situation the foreign company will get permission to flights of its UAVs over the territory of the Russian Federation.
See Also
- Google Loon
- Unmanned aerial vehicle (drone, UAV)
- Internet access (world market)
- Internet access (market of the European Union)
- Internet access (market of Russia)
- Internet access (market of the USA)
- Mobile broadband access Internet (world market)
- Internet economy
Notes
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