Facebook will provide people in Africa with satellite access

Today, Facebook has announced the signing of a partnership agreement with the French satellite communications operator Eutelsat to provide residents of Tropical Africa with broadband access to the Network. According to a multi-year agreement with another satellite company, Spacecom, the project will use AMOS-6 satellites capable of covering large areas of this region with communications. The satellites, according to the plan, should be contacted in the second half of 2016.

The current project is one of many included in the plan developed as part of the Internet.org mission . The mission is to provide free web services to people in developing countries. Previously, the organization tested the performance of “solar” drones equipped with telecommunication equipment, and also opened access to Internet.org for mobile operators. Since its launch in 2013 in Africa, the service has been available in 19 countries, although it has been criticized by the adherents of the network neutrality concept. One of the reasons for criticism - the motives of Facebook, which may not be disinterested.

Now, according to a UN report , about 57% of the world's population does not have a permanent connection to the Network. The majority of these 57% are the population of the poorest countries. At the same time, broadband Internet access has become a reality for many African countries, but still a huge part of the black continent’s population is unable to connect to the Network.
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In a press release, Eutelsat says that collaboration with Facebook will allow people in developing countries to connect to the Web through the equipment available to this category of users. At the same time, according to Eutelsat representatives, in many sub-Saharan regions of Africa there is a huge need for broadband access. Both Facebook and Google are now looking for new ways to connect the “next billion” potential users. At the same time, both companies, according to rumors, retreated from the original plans to develop their own communications satellites.

“Facebook’s mission is to unite the world, and we believe that satellites will play an important role in eliminating the obstacles that are blocking Africa’s connection,” said Chris Daniels, vice president of Internet.org. “We hope to cooperate with Eutelsat in this project, looking for new ways to connect residents of remote regions to the Network using satellites,” added Daniels.