Facebook uses satellites to provide free Internet for Africa

Specifically, the largest social networking planet reached a cooperation agreement with Eutelsat, a company operating in France via satellite Internet to transmit Internet to areas without sub-regional connectivity in the Sahara (Africa). This process will be starting from the second half of next year.

Facebook and Eutelsat satellite will operate AMOS-6, called the company Spacecom (based in Israel) will be launched into space later this year to broadcast free of charge to Internet users. This Internet service will allow users free access to some online services such as monitoring weather, medical information and the social network Facebook. Estimates of people in 14 countries of the most densely populated areas in Africa can use the free Internet services of Facebook.

It is the latest effort in the project Internet.org that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is the initiator. Previously there have been rumors that Facebook is developing its own satellites with a price of up to $ 1 billion to provide free Internet to many other regions of the world.

"Facebook's mission is to connect the world and we believe that the satellite will play an important role in addressing significant barriers still exist in the connection of the African people," Chris Daniels , Project Director Internet.org share. "We will cooperate with Eutelsat in this project and is investing in ways to use the new satellite to efficiently connect people in the remote areas of the world".

Earlier this week, in a speech before the UN General Assembly, CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook dakeu call using the Internet as a tool to help reduce poverty worldwide. According to Zuckerberg, the Internet connection will help people in remote areas and the poor have access to knowledge, tools ... so that help them overcome poverty.

Also how to use satellites to provide free Internet, Facebook also has built unmanned aerial vehicle of their own to be able to provide free Internet in a large area around the globe. Notably, Facebook is not the only tech companies have ambitions to bring free internet to the global, previously Google also announced projects using balloon (instead of unmanned aerial vehicle as Facebook) to bring Internet services globally.

However, the project is also subject to Facebook's Internet.org many critics to say that this project violates the principles of the "Internet neutrality" by offering some free services and unfair competition with the competitor. Even many comments concerned that Facebook may collect personal information and use them for espionage through its projects.