WASHINGTON – Facebook is working on an internet satellite project calledAthena to beam internet connectivity down to Earth. The company aims tolaunch satellite early next year.
The social networking giant has filed with the US Federal CommunicationsCommission (FCC) under the name PointView Tech LLC, the project is designedto “efficiently provide broadband access to unserved and underserved areasthroughout the world,” the Wired reported on Friday.
Facebook also confirmed that Athena is their project.
“While we have nothing to share about specific projects at this time, webelieve satellite technology will be an important enabler of the nextgeneration of broadband infrastructure, making it possible to bringbroadband connectivity to rural regions where Internet connectivity islacking or non-existent,” a Facebook spokesperson said.
*Internet satellite: Facebook’s another attempt*While Facebook had long expressed its cherished goal of connecting billionsof underserved people around the world, it has not had much success withtwo earlier projects.
In June, Facebook announced it decided to abandon its plan to develophigh-flying solar-powered drones called Aquilla that was aimed to deliverInternet to nearly four billion people in remote parts of the world.
A high altitude platform station (HAPS) system, Aquila’s mission, accordingto Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, was to connect the world and help peoplewho do not have online access all the opportunities of the Internet.
Facebook began Aquila project in 2014. In 2017, the solar-powered dronesuccessfully completed the second full-scale test flight.