After amassing 3.8 billion users around the world, Facebook is looking to add one more billion people on its platform by upgrading existing and adding new infrastructure.
The social media giant announced new connectivity technologies that will bring the next billion people online and enhance existing infrastructure projects.
At a global media conference BusinessDay, Facebook said there is a direct relationship between economic growth and accessibility of Internet services.
“In Nigeria, increased broadband connectivity resulted in a 7.8 percent increase in the likelihood of employment for people in areas connected to fiber optic cables,” Dan Rabinovitsj, Vice President, Facebook Connectivity, said.
He noted that increased internet connectivity led to a 19 percent increase in Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) per capita in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Globally, Facebook has been on a voyage to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.
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The company’s products which include the Facebook app, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, Oculus, Workplace, Portal, and Novi empower more than three billion people around the world to share ideas, offer support and make a difference.
“Facebook Connectivity works with partners to develop new technologies for access to high-speed internet. Today we’re sharing the latest developments on some of these connectivity technologies, which aim to deliver major improvements in internet capacity across the world by sea, land, and air,” Rabinovitsj said.
Since 2013, Facebook Connectivity has helped bring more than 500 million people online to a faster internet and now aims to enable affordable, high-quality connectivity for the next billion people with emerging technologies.
Most stakeholders say Facebook’s mission is to allow the next generation to feel more present and immersed in their digital lives. But getting here requires new technology for a faster, more affordable internet for everyone.
There are over 3 billion people globally who are under-connected, and Facebook is deploying technologies to improve connectivity inside the lab.
“We have invested in over 150,000 kilometers of subsea cables with capacity to support the entire continents. Our partnership with dozens of partners globally has brought about investment in projects like 2Africa which will almost triple the bandwidth reaching Africa,” Cynthia Perret, Infrastructure Program Manager, Facebook Connectivity, said.
