Facebook is developing a helicopter to deliver internet access in emergencies
Facebook is developing a small helicopter that can be deployed in emergencies to deliver internet access, the company said. Speaking at the F8 conference in San Jose today, the company said that the helicopter, dubbed “Tether-tenna,” would provide “instant infrastructure” during times of crisis. “When completed, this technology will be able to be deployed immediately and operate for months at a time to bring back connectivity in case of an emergency,” said Yael Maguire, who run’s Facebook’s Connectivity Lab, in a blog post.
Tether-tenna could be deployed in cases when cellular infrastructure was damaged but fiber lines in the area still work, Maguire said. In those instances, the helicopter will tether to a fiber line and electricity,…
