Scramble for Africa:Facebook set to Launch a Satellite

Facebook is to launch a satellite that will provide internet access to remote parts of Africa, the social network’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced.

In partnership with French-based provider Eutelsat, Facebook hope the first satellite will be launched in 2016.

“We’re going to keep working to connect the entire world — even if that means looking beyond our planet,” Mark Zuckerberg.

The project is part of Facebook’s Internet.org project, which has come under fierce criticism in some countries.

In some areas, particularly India, businesses reacted angrily to the plans saying it gave Facebook, and its partners, an unfair advantage in developing internet markets.

Internet.org is experimenting with different ways of providing internet to hard-to-reach places. Recently, the company told of how it was planning to use a custom-built drone to beam down connectivity.

‘Optimised for community’

This latest initiative looks to use existing satellite technology to provide affordable internet access.

“Over the last year Facebook has been exploring ways to use aircraft and satellites to beam internet access down into communities from the sky,”-Mr Zuckerberg.

“To connect people living in remote regions, traditional connectivity infrastructure is often difficult and inefficient, so we need to invent new technologies.”

In a statement, Eutelsat said users on the ground would be able to use “off the shelf” products to access the service when it launches in the second half of 2016.

“The capacity is optimised for community and Direct-to-User Internet access using affordable, off-the-shelf customer equipment,” the company said.

“Eutelsat and Facebook will each deploy Internet services designed to relieve pent-up demand for connectivity from the many users in Africa beyond range of fixed and mobile terrestrial networks.”

Several companies already provide internet-by-satellite, but it is a costly option beyond the reach of most people in the developing world.

By Dave Lee

BBC’s North America technology reporter

Follow Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

Featured story:BBC

 

Frustrated Obama Pleads for help to Tame Gun Violence

#UCCShooting

Students, staff and faculty are evacuated from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. Thursday, October 1, 2015, after a deadly shooting |PHOTO CREDIT:Michael Sullivan/The News-Review via AP

President Barack has expressed his frustrations following yet another mass shooting targeted at a learning institution in the US. The shooting which took place on Thursday morning at around 10:38 a.m. at the Umpqua Community College  in Roseburg, Oregon left ten people dead and seven others wounded ;a figure that was revised downward from an earlier death toll which was pegged at 13.

According to US media outlets, the gunman identified as Chris Harper Mercer ,26,is said to have been armed with three handguns and an assault weapon.US security officials who spoke to CNN also said that the gunman appeared to have been ready for a fight as he had a body armor and a stash of ammunition on him.

During a press conference at The White House, President Obama however expressed his disappointment by what he termed as lack of political goodwill by members of the Congress to adopt counter gun violence legislation in a bid to tame the rising incidents of mass shootings in the country.

Obama warned that prayer alone and empty rhetoric will not help the situation challenging the media to come out strongly on the matter and question Congressmen for their hard line position on the matter. “I hope and pray that I don’t have to come out again during my tenure as president to offer my condolences … but based on my experiences as president I can’t guarantee that,” the president added. “And that’s terrible to say. And it can change.”

Meanwhile, authorities have cordoned off a Winchester, Oregon, apartment complex which according to initial investigative reports is said to have been listed as Mercer’s address. The neighbours could not hide their unbelief though on the news as most described him as a calm man. An old neighbour who spoke to The Huffington Post  is quoted saying, “Chris was kind of reserved, kept to himself mostly.”

Police taped off an Oregon apartment complex listed as Mercer’s address.PHOTO CREDIT:ANDY CAMPBELL/HUFFINGTON POST

But even as security officials continue to grapple with what has now famously come to be known as “gun violence”, it remains unclear on what measures the Obama administration will take to tame the vice even as the president appears to be admitting to have lost the war. This even as the incident brings to 45, the number of shooting incidents at learning institutions so far this year.

By Jeremiah Wakaya