Facebook CEO announces project to deliver internet from space

Zuckerberg announces to partner with Eutelsat to launch a satellite into orbit that will connect millions of people

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Monday the organisation’s first project to deliver internet from space.

“I'm excited to announce our first project to deliver internet from space. As part of our Internet.org efforts to connect the world, we're partnering with Eutelsat to launch a satellite into orbit that will connect millions of people,” said Zuckerberg’s status update on Facebook.

He said over the last year Facebook was exploring ways to use aircraft and satellites to beam internet access down into communities from the sky.

“To connect people living in remote regions, traditional connectivity infrastructure is often difficult and inefficient, so we need to invent new technologies,” the Facebook founder said.

Read: Zuckerberg, Gates make bid for universal Internet access

“As part of our collaboration with Eutelsat, a new satellite called Amos-6 is going to provide internet coverage to large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The Amos-6 satellite is under construction now and will launch in 2016 into a geostationary orbit that will cover large parts of West, East and Southern Africa. We’re going to work with local partners across these regions to help communities begin accessing internet services provided through satellite.”

Last month at a UN Summit, Zuckerberg and Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates threw their weight behind the goal of bringing internet access to everyone in the world by 2020.