Facebook is in talks to buy a solar-powered drone startup in what could lead to making wireless Internet available in regions without online access, according to technology news website TechCrunch.<\/p>\n
TechCrunch cited an unidentified source as disclosing that the leading social network is considering buying Titan Aerospace for about $60 million.<\/p>\n
Facebook declined to comment Tuesday on what it referred to in an email to AFP as “rumors and speculation.”<\/p>\n
Titan Aerospace makes high-altitude, solar-powered drones that can fly for as long as five years without touching down.<\/p>\n
Facebook-backed Internet.org, which has a stated mission of making online access available everywhere in the world, could put such drones to work as airborne wireless hotspots.<\/p>\n
Aerospace Titan would start by making about 11,000 drones to fly above Africa and other parts of the world with minimal to no Internet access, according to TechCrunch.<\/p>\n
Aerospace Titan was founded in 2012 and has its headquarters in the state of New Mexico where it handles research and development.<\/p>\n
The takeover, if confirmed, would come as Google works on a Project Loon to spread Internet access using balloons.<\/p>\n
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