Facebook announces Facebook Connectivity, a new internal group

Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg holds a propeller pod of the solar-powered
Aquila drone on stage during a keynote at the Facebook F8
conference in San Francisco, California April 12,
2016.
REUTERS/Stephen
Lam

• Facebook is shaking up its efforts to connect the
  so-called “next billion” internet users, especially those in
  emerging markets.
• All its connectivity projects are being grouped under a
  single umbrella, Facebook Connectivity, which has a new
  boss.
• The Silicon Valley company’s efforts haven’t always
  gone smoothly.

There’s changes afoot at Facebook’s wildly ambitious efforts to
connect the so-called “next billion” internet users, who are
expected to mostly come from emerging markets. 

On Friday, the social networking firm revealed that it is
bringing all its connectivity efforts together under one umbrella
— called, aptly, Facebook Connectivity. It has also hired an
executive from wireless firm Ruckus Networks to lead the program,
Dan Rabinovitsj.

“Let’s get the next billion people on the internet!”
his LinkedIn job description now reads.

The news was first reported by tech news site CNET, which spoke
to Yael Maguire, the VP of engineering for Connectivity,
about the shakeup. 

“There’s no silver bullet for connecting the world,”
Maguire told CNET. “There isn’t going to be a magic technology or
business plan or single regulatory policy change that’s going to
change this. We really believe that it is a wide and diverse set
of efforts that’s required to do this.”

Facebook has long harbored ambitions of bringing internet
to billions of people across the developing world for the first
time — but it hasn’t always gone smoothly.

In June, the company announced it was
ditching its plans to build its own giant drones that could beam
down wireless internet after Business Insider reported on
upheaval at the project. 
And Free Basics, a
service to bring free internet services to people in the
developing world, has often been criticized for the appearance of
promoting Facebook’s own apps over those of competitors.

Several of Facebook’s existing programs will be rolled under the
Connectivity banner, including:

• Free Basics — a program to provide free access to select
  internet services to cellphone users in emerging markets.
• Terragraph — a project to develop high-speed wireless
  internet for urban environments. 
• Telecom Infra Project — efforts to develop better
  telecommunications infrastructure, working with other telecom
  firms.
• High-Altitude Connectivity — its efforts in the field of
  high-altitude aerial vehicles (including satellites) that can
  provide internet, which continue even after the closure of its
  drone program.

Check out Facebook
Connectivity’s website for the full list.

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