The social network has already begun working on ways to beam Internet to people from the sky. Now, Zuckerberg has shared some details of Facebook’s Connectivity Lab that is working at building drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone. “We’ve made good progress so far. Over the past year, our work in the Philippines and Paraguay alone has doubled the number of people using mobile data with the operators we’ve partnered with, helping 3 million new people access the internet,” he wrote in a post on Facebook. He emphasised on how there will be need for new technology in order to help connect the world and that’s what the company is planning to work at with the new Connectivity Lab. While the Facebook team is already working with experts in aerospace and communications technology (including from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab and Ames Research Center), the company has now added a new team, Ascenta, that has helped build unmanned connectivity aircrafts for Facebook.

Ascenta is a small UK-based company whose founders have built the early versions of Zephyr that is the world’s longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft. partners and operators across the world to deploy these technologies. in India and Google is also all set to bring its internet project that uses high-altitude balloons to offer connectivity to remote areas here.Startups dealing in the world of drones have been given a boost today with the news that Sky-Futures, which flies drones around oil rigs and gas pipelines, has raised $3.87 million (£2.5m) in a Series A from London-based venture fund MMC Ventures. black ops 2 maxis drone discsThe funding is believed to be Europe’s largest-ever drone investment to date.parrot ar drone szervíz Although it’s been running since 2009, Sky-Futures has grown in recent years to work with over 30 of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world. ar drone 2 ultraschall

It operates in the North Sea, the Middle East, South East Asia and North Africa. The company also has an office in Houston, Texas, to serve clients in the Gulf of Mexico, having been one of the first companies to receive FAA regulatory approval to operate in the US. Their drones collect HD video, stills and thermal imagery data, which is analysed and delivered to their clients This investment follows two significant seed rounds, which included prominent angel investors Nick Robertson (CEO of ASOS) and Jon Kamaluddin (former International Director of ASOS). Co-founder James Harrison got the idea for a drone-based venture while serving in Iraq, and in 2009 co-founded Sky Futures with Chris Blackford and Nick Rogers. Harrison has said that he hopes the UK government will push the tech innovation around drones and help with tax breaks that support the industry, as well as putting in clear regulation. Britain is fast becoming a haven for drone startups, due to favourable regulation.

A House of Lords report last month said the sector could create 150,000 jobs in Europe by 2050. While in the US, the commercial use of drones is banned, in the UK it is permitted, subject to licensing and safety requirements set down by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. As of now, over 500 non-military entities are licensed to fly drones in the UK. In 2012 that figure was 120. People buying ’toy’ drones do not need a licence but have to fly them in safe areas and keep in visual contact, as drones are still considered to be piloted aircraft. Drone technology is being boosted by Facebook’s involvement, which has tested its first solar-powered drone since its acquisition of the Somerset manufacturer Ascenta. These are designed to beam Internet access into rural areas. Meanwhile Google has also acquired a US drone maker. And Amazon has been approved to test its drone delivery services long as the machines fly below 400 feet and do not exceed 100mph. In the UK, former Hailo Taxi app co-founder Jay Bregman has created Verifly, a new startup that develops verification and control systems for unmanned flying vehicles, allowing drones to be traced and their owners identified.

It’s raised £1.4 million of investment from Dublin-based Irelandia Aviation, the low-cost airline developer run by Declan Ryan, of the family behind the budget carrier Ryanair, TAG, and Prospect Insurance, the insurance broker that sits within Lloyd’s of London. About Latest Posts Latest posts by Alan Perlman (see all) Putting Durability to the Test with the VIFLY Racing Drone 70 Drone Companies to Watch in 2017 7 Ways to Make Money with Aerial ThermographyFacebook has unveiled its plan to fill the world's skies with internet-connected solar powered drones. Just weeks after it was rumoured to be in talks to buy a drone-making company for around $600 million, the social network said it was committed to expanding online access in the developing world. The social network yesterday unveiled its new Connectivity Lab, which includes experts from NASA, and was described as a team working on 'new aerospace and communications technologies' with the overall aim of expanding global Internet access.

, we've been working on ways to beam internet to people from the sky. Today, we're sharing some details of the work Facebook's Connectivity Lab is doing to build drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone." In a video post on the Facebook website, Yael Maguire from the social network spoke about the different ways the company is looking at extending the reach of existing Internet connections. "We're looking at a new type of plane architecture that flies at roughly 20,000m, because that's a point where winds are at their lowest, it's above commercial airliners, it's even above the weather, and actually it can stay in the air for months at a time. These planes are solar-powered and they sit there and circle around, and have the ability to broadcast Internet down." Zuckerberg also announced the industry from the UK was now part of the project. "Today we are also bringing on key members of the team from Ascenta, a small UK-based company whose founders created early versions of Zephyr, which became the world's longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft.