document: fb most certainly is not going to Launch internet Satellites in the end

facebook’s secretive, bold plans to build satellites that will bring internet service to the sector’s poorest nations has reportedly been cancelled. Amir Efrati of the tips studies fb is canceling its plan to launch a satellite tv for pc, which could have price as much as $1 billion. No sources are named for the story, however the information says the news came from a person with direct data of the challenge and any other individual briefed about it.

The satellite used to be a part of fb’s web.org initiative, which goals to carry fashionable internet get admission to to nations with developing economies (and increase facebook’s market share in these new markets in the course of). This past September, facebook poached satellite web skilled Michael Tseytlin from Google; he was reportedly hired to work on satellite tv for pc internet initiatives at facebook’s connectivity lab.

remaining March, Mark Zuckerberg mentioned that the Connectivity Lab is experimenting with “Drones, satellites and lasers to deliver the internet to everyone.”

Early in 2015, SpaceX raised $1 billion from Google and constancy for a satellite tv for pc internet project of its own. each fb and Google are trying to determine methods to convey internet get right of entry to to emerging economies while coping with more and more cumbersome infrastructure, R&D, and felony costs. Google put their very own, in-house satellite tv for pc plans on hang this 12 months as smartly.