Facebook Is Launching Rural Internet Access Via Satellite for Africa
- Social network plans to boost Africa’s connectivity, CEO says
- U.S. company has gained 84 million users on continent
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Facebook Inc. will launch a satellite later this week to extend internet access to rural parts of sub-Saharan Africa, Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said.
The satellite will “beam down connectivity,” the CEO said in a presentation on Wednesday in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. “We built these solar-powered drones that are basically like a cellphone tower in the sky. They can go over really remote rural locations and beam down connectivity to make sure networks spread and reach everyone.”