Facebook may deliver internet by Solar powered Drones

Facebook is in talks to buy Titan Aerospace, a maker of solar-powered drones, to step up its efforts to provide internet access to remote parts of the world, according to reports.

Titan has just launched its Solara 50 and 60 models. Either solar-powered drone can be launched and used at night because a battery pack stores energy until the sun rises.

The information was acquired by TechCrunch, which reports Facebook's acquisition is based in the interests of the Internet.org initiative's goal of delivering Internet access to billions of individuals globally. Though nothing is confirmed at this point, the acquisition is said to be taking place for $60 million.

Computerworld reported that Titan is making big claims about its aircraft, which it calls "atmospheric satellites." The aircraft can cruise at 64 miles per hour and stay aloft for five years at an altitude of 65,000 feet, without having to land or refuel. As well as providing voice and data services, the aircraft can take images of the Earth and carry atmospheric-based sensor systems, according to the company.

Titan, which was founded in 2012, expects to make the drones commercially available next year, its website says.

Facebook is thought to be interested in employing a fleet of Titan's aircraft to provide Internet access to people around the world, starting in Africa. A Facebook spokesman declined to comment, and Titan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Using Titan's aircraft to provide some form of blanket Internet access would make sense, particularly in Africa, said Michael Toscano, president and CEO at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, an industry trade group. From a technology standpoint, "it's feasible," he said.

According to the Washingtonpost, this could also be seen as Facebook's answer to Google's "Project Loon," which is working to solve the problem of connecting people in rural and undeveloped areas to the Internet by deploying a fleet of helium balloons that can beam WiFi signals back to the earth's surface. Announced last year as one of Google's "moonshot" projects, the balloons also carry solar panels, but rely on wind patterns to direct where their bubbles of connectivity -- 24-miles in radius -- float. Google is currently testing the technology in New Zealand, after keeping the project under wraps for two years.