It's part of Internet.org, the Facebook-led initiative launched last year that aims to bring Internet connectivity to the two-thirds of the world's population that currently lacks access. Zuckerberg said in his post that the project has already helped 3 million people access the Internet for the first time in the Philippines and Paraguay.
But, he added, "connecting the whole world will require inventing new technology too."
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So Facebook is launching the new Connectivity Lab, which is working on Internet connectivity systems that involve technology like "high-altitude long-endurance planes, satellites and lasers." The idea is to harness technology that can beam to areas that lack Internet infrastructure.
The Connectivity Lab team includes experts from NASA and from Ascenta, a U.K.-based company whose founders created early versions of what became the world's longest flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft.