When Starry announced its new venture for gigabit mesh networks in January, it was hailed as ambitious, innovative, and more than a little far-fetched. But Starry isn’t the only company developing the technology.
Facebook Is Developing Millimeter-Wave Networks for Internet.org
Zuckerberg is after the same technology that powers Starry.
The Verge
Patent records obtained by The Verge show that Facebook is actively developing an extremely similar technology. One patent — filed by Facebook employee Sanjai Kohli in October but made public the week after the Starry announcement — describes a “Next Generation Data Network” that would connect computers using millimeter-wave radio links deployed as a mesh network. Both mesh and millimeter-wave technology are also central ideas in Starry’s scheme. Another patent granted to Kohli at the end of 2015 describes the Next Generation Network in more detail, as a kind of centralized, cloud-based routing system.
Reached by The Verge, Facebook confirmed the millimeter-wave research and said its development was part of Internet.org’s ongoing efforts to build out Internet access for rural and poor populations.
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
See More:
