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Facebook Eyes Lasers for Internet Connectivity (Pew Pew!)

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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You know what's cool? Internet access. You know what's even cooler? LASERS. So why not combine the two?

That's what Mark Zuckerberg has planned. The Facebook CEO has already outlined plans to use drones and satellites to connect the next billion people to the Internet. But now he's adding lasers to the mix.

Facebook Lasers"Our Connectivity Lab is developing a laser communications system that can beam data from the sky into communities," Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post. "This will dramatically increase the speed of sending data over long distances."

Zuckerberg posted a few photos of Facebook's lasers (above). "Normally you wouldn't be able to see the actual beams, but for this demonstration we made them visible," he wrote. "This is just one connectivity project we're working on, but I was excited to share this with you."

These connectivity programs are being handled by Internet.org and Facebook's Connectivity Lab. The goal is provide everyone with Internet access, from Silicon Valley to the most remote jungle. In many cases, though, it's challenging enough to get these regions connected to electricity, let alone the Internet. So tech firms like Facebook (and Google) need to be creative.

Last year, for example, Facebook acquired the five-person team at U.K.-based Ascenta, which worked on early versions of Zephyr, the longest-flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft. At the company's f8 developer conference earlier this year, Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer unveiled the social network's first solar-powered drone, which can beam Internet access down to people from the sky.

Google, meanwhile, purchased a satellite firm last year and has been flying Internet-connected balloons all over the globe via Project Loon, which beams Web access to remote communities on the ground.

Facebook's Internet.org, however, has been embroiled in a bit of controversy. In an effort to get people online, the service provides free access to certain services on mobile devices. But these deals, some critics say, violate net neutrality. Zuckerberg hit back and said he was just trying to get people connected, but Facebook later said that it would open up Internet.org so that anyone can offer their products on the service, provided they adhere to certain parameters.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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