Facebook's drone-based internet plans back on with tests with Airbus in Australia

Drone tests took place in November and December 2018

Facebook's plans for delivering internet access via high-flying drones appear to be back on with the company testing technology in Australia in partnership with Airbus.

According to German publication NetzPolitik, a document obtained via a Freedom of Information request reveals that the two companies spent much of the last year in talks over a collaboration, with drone tests scheduled for November and December 2018.

Work between the two companies seems to have ratcheted up after the social media giant announced its plans last year to end work on its Aquila drone, despite four years of development.

While announcing the end of the project, the company said many aerospace companies, including Airbus, were already developing high-altitude drones with similar goals. Facebook also said it would continue to collaborate with companies like Airbus.

According to NetzPolitik, two companies were planning to conduct tests using Airbus' pioneering solar-powered 'Zephyr' drone. Wyndham Airfield in Western Australia was selected as the site for the tests. It is yet unclear whether tests were actually performed.

Zephyr is a High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) and is capable of flying at altitudes of 21,340 metres - twice the altitude of a commercial airplane. The drone uses solar power to fly and can stay in air for about a month at a time.

Facebook has reportedly selected Airbus' Zephyr S model, which weighs less than 75kg and comes with a wingspan of 25 metres. It uses millimetre-wave radio to beam signals to the ground.

The first unmanned flight of Zephyr S was conducted in Arizona in the summer of 2018, in which the drone stayed in air for 25 days, 23 hours, and 57 minutes, setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted flight.

According to NetzPolitik, Airbus and Facebook also met European regulators in April last year to discuss possibilities of providing internet connectivity in Europe through Zephyr drones. In Europe, such connectivity projects could be permitted under a smart cities approach. However, Facebook never publicly displayed its interest in Zephyr.

"We continue to work with partners on High Altitude Platform System (HAPS) connectivity. We don't have further details to share at this time," a Facebook spokesperson told NetzPolitik.