Facebook drones to boost internet penetration

Following the announcement that Facebook has acquired virtual reality tech company, Oculus VR, the social media giant has revealed that it is working on flying drones to help provide internet to those without connectivity.

Its goal is to deliver “affordable access to basic internet services available to every person in the world,” wrote Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a status update.

The drones are set to be built by the Facebook Connectivity Lab, which has been tasked with building drones, satellites and lasers.

There’s certainly a need. Less than three billion people are able to access the internet among a population of 7.1 billion.

Penetration is low in developing countries without infrastructure and government censorship often stifles free and open access.