Facebook to Buy Drone Maker Titan Aerospace

 

Facebook is looking to enter the game of drones.

The social media giant is reportedly in talks to purchase Titan Aerospace, a company that makes solar-powered, near-orbital drones, which can fly for about five years nonstop. Facebook would use the drones to help deliver internet access to areas of the world that still lack connectivity, according to TechCrunch.

Citing an unnamed source "with access to information about the deal," TechCrunch on Monday reported that Facebook will pay $60 million for Titan Aerospace, a privately held venture with research and development facilities in New Mexico. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the report.

If the deal goes through, Titan would purportedly begin building 11,000 unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver Internet access to regions in Africa as a start to Facebook's ambitious global connectivity project.

The rumor comes after Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg in August spearheaded a new organization dubbed Internet.org aimed at increasing access to the Web, with the stated goal of bringing the Internet "to the next 5 billion people." At this point, an estimated 2.7 billion people—about one-third of the world's population—have access to the Internet.


"Any plan to make Internet access broadly available will require making significant technology and business model improvements that enable some access to be either very cheap or free for people who can't otherwise afford it," Zuckerberg wrote in a white paper about Internet.org.

Google is also exploring the expansion of Internet access via aerial means with its Project Loon, a venture that would provide Web connections to underserved areas via high-flying balloons.

Meanwhile, Facebook isn't the only tech giant interested in drones. Amazon in December announced it is experimenting with drones that could provide half-hour, same-day delivery of its products to customers. However, the online retail giant said a formal introduction of the service, dubbed PrimeAir, is years away.

For more, check out our slideshow above of 12 Non-Lethal Uses For Drones.
For more, check out PCMag Live in the video below, which discusses Facebook's reported acquisition.