Facebook teams up with Eutelsat to provide internet to Sub-Saharan Africa from outer space

Yesterday, Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zukerberg announced a major project. In partnership with French-based satellite provider, Eutelsat Communications, efforts are underway to deliver space-based internet access to about 14 countries in Africa by 2016.

The beaming is expected to begin early next year and will cover West, East and Southern Africa.

Read his full note:

“I’m excited to announce our first project to deliver internet from space. As part of our Internet.org efforts to connect the world, we’re partnering with Eutelsat to launch a satellite into orbit that will connect millions of people.Over the last year Facebook has been exploring ways to use aircraft and satellites to beam internet access down into communities from the sky. To connect people living in remote regions, traditional connectivity infrastructure is often difficultand inefficient, so we need to invent new technologies.

As part of our collaboration with Eutelsat, a new satellite called AMOS-6 is going to provide internet coverage to large parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. The AMOS-6 satellite is under construction now and will launch in 2016 into a geostationary orbit that will cover large parts of West, East and Southern Africa. We’re going to work with local partners across these regions to help communities begin accessing internet services provided through satellite.
This is just one of the innovations we’re working on to achieve our mission with Internet.org. Connectivity changes lives and communities. We’re going to keep working to connect the entire world — even if that means looking beyond our planet.”

Wall Street Journal also confirms that Eutelsat is establishing a new base in in London from where they will head their African broadband business, which will focus on providing premium services to small business owners. Eutelsat, the report further confirms, will partner with telecom companies and service providers to achieve this.