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| Engineers with a prototype of the Facebook 'Aquila' unmanned aircraft |
Details of a solar-powered plane that will hopefully bring high-speed internet access to remote corners of the world using lasers has been revealed by Facebook.
The unmanned aircraft has a huge wingspan similar to a Boeing 737 but it weighs less than a car and the company claims it can remain airborne for months at a time.
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg said: "We've successfully tested a new laser that can transmit data at 10 gigabits per second.
"That's ten times faster than any previous system, and it can accurately connect with a point the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away.
Named 'Aquila' the drone is part of the company's internet.org project to deliver high speed internet connectivity to hundreds-of-millions of people in remote parts of the world.
Zuckerberg further added that "This effort is important because 10% of the world's population lives in areas without existing internet infrastructure. To affordably connect everyone, we need to build completely new technologies.”
Google pursues its own project called 'Loon', focused on bringing Wi-Fi to remote countries using giant 'balloons' which will be able to stay aloft for about 100 days at a time.
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