WebProNews

Tag: Internet.org

  • Facebook Is About to Start Testing Its Internet Drone

    Aquila, Facebook’s internet-beaming drone, is complete and ready for testing.

    Jay Parikh, VP of Global Engineering and Infrastructure, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg just pulled the cover off the device, which is carbon-fiber framed and solar-powered. Aquila has the wingspan of a 737, but weighs only as much as a Prius. Facebook’s plan is to drop it via ballon, and once deployed it will fly around an area for up to 90 days “beaming connectivity down to people from an altitude of 60,000 to 90,000 feet.”

    It’s part of the company’s Internet.org effort, which aims to, among other things, provide internet and internet services to underserved communities.

    “This effort is important because 10% of the world’s population lives in areas without existing internet infrastructure. To affordably connect everyone, we need to build completely new technologies,” says Zuckerberg. “Using aircraft to connect communities using lasers might seem like science fiction. But science fiction is often just science before its time. Over the coming months, we will test these systems in the real world and continue refining them so we can turn their promise into reality.”

    Drones aren’t the only thing Facebook’s unveiling today. They’re also talking lasers:

    Our laser communications team in Woodland Hills, California, has achieved a significant performance breakthrough. They’ve designed and lab-tested a laser that can deliver data at 10s of Gb per second — approximately 10x faster than the previous state-of-the-art in the industry — to a target the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away. We are now starting to test these lasers in real-world conditions. When finished, our laser communications system can be used to connect our aircraft with each other and with the ground, making it possible to create a stratospheric network that can extend to even the remotest regions of the world.

    “Our goal is to accelerate the development of a new set of technologies that can drastically change the economics of deploying internet infrastructure. We are exploring a number of different approaches to this challenge, including aircraft, satellites and terrestrial solutions. Our intention is not to build networks and then operate them ourselves, but rather to quickly advance the state of these technologies to the point that they become viable solutions for operators and other partners to deploy,” says Parikh.

    Facebook’s internet.org initiative has drawn some concerns over net neutrality, but Facebook’s efforts to beam actual internet with drones and lasers should be met with a little less criticism. A little.

  • Facebook Brings Free, Basic Internet to India

    Facebook Brings Free, Basic Internet to India

    Facebook has brought its internet.org app to India, giving free, basic internet access to people in six Indian states – Tamil Nadu, Mahararashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, and Telangana. The deal is a partnership with Reliance Communications.

    By “basic”, we’re talking 38 services – which includes Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Wikipedia, wikiHow, ESPN Cricket Info, Bing search, and BBC News. There are also websites offered that are very specific to Indian interests, like Maharashtra Times and Babajob.

    “Reliance customers in India can access these services in the Internet.org Android app, at www.internet.org, from the start screen of the Opera Mini mobile web browser, and using the Android app UC Browser for Internet.org. Most of the services will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati and Marathi,” says Facebook.

    There are over a billion people in India who are not connected to the internet in any way.

    “Over the last year we’ve rolled out Internet.org free basic services to countries with more than 150 million people total across Africa and Latin America. More than 6 million people are already connected to the internet who previously weren’t, and we’ve started hearing incredible stories about how the internet is changing lives and communities. But to continue connecting the world, we have to connect India. More than a billion people in India don’t have access to the internet. That means they can’t enjoy the same opportunities many of us take for granted, and the entire world is robbed of their ideas and creativity,” says Mark Zuckerberg in a post. This is why the move into India is the most significant yet – the sheer volume of under-connected people.

    Post by Mark Zuckerberg.

    “One day, we will connect everyone, and the power of the internet will serve every community across India and the world. That day is coming,” he says.

    In 2013, Zuckerberg launched Internet.org with the stated mission of making the internet available to all. Last summer, the organization launched the internet.org app.

    Image via Dikkoos, Wikimedia Commons

  • Facebook Brings Free Basic Internet Services to Colombia via internet.org app

    Facebook Brings Free Basic Internet Services to Colombia via internet.org app

    Facebook has just launched its Internet.org app in Colombia, bringing free basic internet services to the country.

    This is the first time that the app has reached a Latin American country.

    “Before today, only about 50% of Colombians had access to the internet. By launching the Internet.org app on the Tigo network today, we’re giving people free access to basic internet services for jobs, health, finance and communication. By partnering with the Colombian government, we’re also able to include e-government services for the first time, for education and agriculture,” says Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

    Through the app, Tigo customers in Colombia can access Facebook, Wikipedia, Facebook Messenger, AccuWeather, and a slew of other basic services for free.

    Post by Mark Zuckerberg.

    The Internet.org app first launched last summer. Part of Facebook’s goal to get more of the world access to the internet, the app provides free basic internet services without data charges. Over 85% of the world’s population is blanketed with cellular coverage, yet only about 30% access the internet.

  • Facebook’s Internet.org App Brings Free Internet to the Under-Connected

    Facebook’s Internet.org App Brings Free Internet to the Under-Connected

    Nearly a year ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new initiative called Internet.org, with the stated mission of making the internet available to all (making affordable internet access available to the two thirds of the world not yet connected, in its words). Zuckerberg and his new group lamented that devices and data plans are too expensive, mobile networks are shoddy, power sources are limited, and in some places simple knowledge of the internet is non-existent.

    Today, Zuckerberg and company are taking one of their first big steps to help bring basic internet access to the underserved. They’re launching an Internet.org Android app.

    The app will debut in Zambia, a country where only 15 percent of the population has internet access. Of course, Zuckerberg hopes to expand into more countries as soon as possible.

    “A year ago, I announced Internet.org, our effort to bring affordable internet access to everyone in the world.
    We believe that every person should have access to free basic internet services – tools for health, education, jobs and basic communication,” says Zuckerberg.

    “Right now, only 15% of people in Zambia have access to the internet. Soon, everyone will be able to use the internet for free to find jobs, get help with reproductive health and other aspects of health, and use tools like Facebook to stay connected with the people they love. This is a big step forward in achieving the mission of Facebook and Internet.org. We’re looking forward to bringing free basic services to more countries soon.”

    Post by Mark Zuckerberg.

    The Internet.org app will provide free, basic access to things like Facebook, Google search, Wikipedia, Facebook Messenger, and AccuWeather. All of these services will be accessible through the new app – but also via internet.org as well as the main Facebook for Android app.

    Images via Facebook (1) (2)

  • Facebook Is Reportedly Buying Drones (For Far Less Than Price Of WhatsApp)

    Now Facebook is buying drones apparently.

    TechCrunch is reporting that the company is in talks to buy drone maker Titan Aerospace for $60 million. Yes, that is far less than what the company is paying for WhatsApp.

    Titan Aerospace makes high-flying, solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicles. Here’s a look at the Solara 50:

    According to the report, under Facebook, Titan would start building 11,000 of the Solara 60 model.

    Okay, Amazon using drones to deliver products makes some kind of far-out sense, but what on earth is Facebook going to do with them? Well, they’re going to make the Internet more accessible. According to TechCrunch, Facebook wants to use the drones (which are supposed to be able to fly for five years without landing) to help spread Internet access in places that lack it, starting with Africa.

    The whole thing fits right in with Facebook’s Internet.org initiative, which clearly it is taking very seriously.

    Facebook announced several updates to Internet.org at Mobile World Congress last week. One provides students in Rwanda with free access to a “collaborative online education experience.” One is a partnership with Ericsson on an “Innovation Lab,” which will give developers the ability to test apps. Another is a partnership with Unilever to address barriers to Internet access in rural India.

    Facebook’s drones-for-Internet interest brings to mind a similar initiative from Google – Project Loon – which utilizes hot air balloons to spread high-speed Internet access.

    Image via Facebook

  • Facebook Acquires Mobile Data Firm And Internet Ally Onavo

    Facebook has acquired Onavo, a mobile data compression and analytics company out of Israel.

    Onavo announced the news in a blog post on Sunday. In that, co-founders Guy Rosen and Roi Tiger write:

    As you know, Facebook and other mobile technology leaders recently launched Internet.org, formalizing Facebook’s commitment to improving access to the internet for the next 5 billion people — this is a challenge we’re also passionate about.

    We’re excited to join their team, and hope to play a critical role in reaching one of Internet.org’s most significant goals – using data more efficiently, so that more people around the world can connect and share. When the transaction closes, we plan to continue running the Onavo mobile utility apps as a standalone brand. As always, we remain committed to the privacy of people who use our application and that commitment will not change.

    TechCrunch shares the following statement from Facebook:

    “Onavo will be an exciting addition to Facebook. We expect Onavo’s data compression technology to play a central role in our mission to connect more people to the internet, and their analytic tools will help us provide better, more efficient mobile products.”

    Onavo will keep its office in Tel-Aviv, and it will become Facebook’s new Israeli office, its first in the country.

    Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Internet.org was announced back in August aimed at making it easier for billions of people to gain access to the Internet. The company is working with others like MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung on the development of new ideas and business models to make Internet more affordable throughout the world.

    Last week, Google announced a similar, yet different initiative with the Alliance for Affordable Internet with 30 other organizations. This is aimed at influencing policy in various countries, also with the goal of making Internet more affordable.

  • Tech Companies Unite To Form Alliance For Affordable Internet

    Mark Zuckerberg made waves back in August when he announced Internet.org – a new group dedicated to bringing the Internet to the rest of the world through price reductions and innovations in wireless data delivery. Now a group of Internet companies are doing the same thing, but with a decidedly different focus.

    Google announced today that it and more than 30 other members are launching the Alliance for Affordable Internet, or A4AI. Much like Zuckerberg’s Internet.org, it’s stated purpose is to bring Internet service to the estimated 5 billion people around the world who still aren’t connected. Whereas Internet.org focuses on the technical aspects of this, A4AI will focus on the policy and cost side of the issue.

    To be more specific, Google says that A4AI will work with countries around the world to influence policy changes that will make Internet more affordable. How affordable? Google says that ISPs in developing countries charge up to 30 percent of a person’s monthly income for basic broadband services. With effective policy change, Google says it can bring down costs to the UN Broadband Commission’s recommended target of 5 percent of a person’s monthly income.

    So, how is the A4AI going to accomplish this? It has three goals in mind:

  • Publishing a set of policy and regulatory best practices
  • Working directly with governments, with plans to engage with 10+ countries by the end of 2015
  • Releasing the first edition of an annual affordability report

    • The above is all well and good, but policy changes can only go so far. That being said, Internet.org and A4AI could join forces to bring down the costs of broadband services through a combination of policy changes and data delivery improvements. Facebook is already a member of A4AI, but Google isn’t a member of Internet.org yet. That should probably change.

    [Image: Alliance for Affordable Internet]

  • Here Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Plan To Make The Internet More Affordable

    Here Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Plan To Make The Internet More Affordable

    The Internet is expensive. Sure, you may think that the $60 you pay a month for cable isn’t that much, but what about the estimated 5 billion people around the world who don’t even have access to basic Internet services. The costs of connecting those people to the world wide Web are immense, and nobody wants to foot the bill. That’s where Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org comes in.

    You may recall that in late August, Zuckerberg started up a new initiative called Internet.org that would aim to connect the entire planet to the Internet. It’s an incredibly ambitious idea, and an expensive one at that. To help with the cost problem, he proposed a number of ideas that would drive down the price of data delivery. Now he’s back with an in-depth explanation of these proposals.

    If you want a recap, Zuckerberg says that he’s planning on making the Internet 100 times more affordable in two ways. First, he’s going to make Internet delivery 10 times cheaper, and second, he’s going to make data ten times cheaper. He hopes to do this by building out better cell towers that can deliver stronger signals while making better use of the white spectrum currently available. As for data, he wants to use local caching and data compression to make sure that mobile devices only have to use 40 percent of the data that they currently use.

    If these plans come to fruition, we may just have a world where the Internet is made available to more people. That’s only a good thing as increased Internet access will benefit everybody. To take an example from the above video, just imagine farmers in Africa being able to coordinate with agriculture scientists from halfway across the world on how to best increase crop yields. The same Internet access that we take for granted daily would be a revolutionary force of change in the lives of millions without it.

    It’s still early days for Internet.org, however, and it’s going to need all the help it can get to achieve it’s goals. You can’t connect the entire world to the Internet overnight, but it’s something that’s well worth the time and effort.

    [Image: Internet.org/YouTube]

  • Mark Zuckerberg Wants To Make The Internet Available To All

    Mark Zuckerberg Wants To Make The Internet Available To All

    The Internet is the single greatest invention in the history of mankind. It has the power to change how we see the world by exposing us to different ideas and cultures without ever leaving our home. It’s that transformative power that makes the Internet so special, and why it’s imperative that more people get connected. Unfortunately, there are a few roadblocks standing in the way of that.

    Mark Zuckerberg announced today a new initiative called Internet.org that aims to tear down the roadblocks that prevent 5 billion people from gaining access to the Internet. He’s working with MediaTek, Nokia, Opera, Qualcomm and Samsung to help develop new ideas and business models that will make it affordable for everybody all over the world to connect to the Internet and start sharing with the world.

    “Everything Facebook has done has been about giving all people around the world the power to connect,” Zuckerberg said. “There are huge barriers in developing countries to connecting and joining the knowledge economy. Internet.org brings together a global partnership that will work to overcome these challenges, including making internet access available to those who cannot currently afford it.”

    So, how will Facebook and its allies achieve such a lofty goal? In a document penned by Zuckerberg, he proposes a three pronged approach to making Internet access more accessible and affordable to all:

  • Making internet access affordable by making it more efficient to deliver data.
  • Using less data by improving the efficiency of the apps and experiences we use.
  • Helping businesses drive internet access by developing a new model to get people online.

    • To make Internet access more affordable, he proposes that we continue investing in new technologies, like network extension technology, that make it easier to transmit data signals without increasing the cost. Right now, it costs far too much money for people in undeveloped countries to use data plans with their smartphones. With this technology, it could finally become cheap enough for everybody with a smartphone to access the Internet.

    Zuckerberg also points to the Open Compute Project and the upcoming white space spectrum auction as initiatives that could very well drive down the price of data delivery by standardizing how we deliver data.

    Of course, affordable Internet access means little when our apps still use way too much data. To that end, Zuckerberg calls on the development community to come up with news way to make apps more efficient. He hopes to do this through data caching, data compression and efficiency optimization.

    Finally, Zuckerberg addresses the final roadblock on the way to making Internet access available and affordable to all – businesses and governments. That’s why Facebook has partnered with some of the biggest names in Internet technology, like Opera, Qualcomm an MediaTek, to “develop joint projects, share knowledge and mobilize industry and governments to bring the world online.” One of those projects is the zero-rating data model which allows Internet companies to deliver free data to customers when using Facebook.

    In short, Internet.org is by far the most ambitious plan yet (Project Loon notwithstanding) to get the rest of the world connected. It may also have an effect on current markets by driving down prices and improving access to those in developed nations who still can’t get anything but the most basic of services.