Aquila is part of a Facebook program called Internet.org that is trying to bring internet access to the approximately 4 billion people on the globe who lack it.
Facebook has separate programs within Internet.org geared to people with varying levels of internet access. The company estimates there are 1.6 billion people without the ability to connect to the internet at all, which is what Aquila is meant to address. There’s also a segment of the globe’s population that can connect to the internet but can’t afford it, which is who Internet.org’s controversial Free Basics app is geared towards.
Photos From Facebook’s Massive Internet-Beaming Drone’s First Flight. https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexkantrowitz/photos-from-facebooks-massive-internet-beaming-drones-first?utm_term=.hlb6pDOzK#.spBYWwVbG.