Google Buys Drone Maker Titan Aerospace to Provide Internet Access to Remote Areas

Google has acquired a New Mexico based Drone-maker Titan aerospace in order to connect parts of the world which do not have internet access. Currently, about two-thirds of the world's population is not connected to the internet due to poor facility or infrastructure. Google is doing so to increase its core business by providing internet access to those parts of the world which are not connected to the internet.

Google has not disclosed any information regarding the deal price, but media reports had previously indicated that Facebook had been in talk to acquire this company, to provide web access to "the next 5 billion" people, earlier this year for a reported $60 million. It obvious that Google paid more that this to grab the deal from Facebook. The tech giant will be developing the drones alongside its work on “Project Loon” which aims to use giant helium balloons attached to networking equipment to bring the connectivity to remote and undeveloped areas.

Mike Cassidy, The director of Project Loon, said the aim is to provide much cheaper internet connections around the world. In many African nations, for example, monthly internet connection costs are higher than monthly salaries. Google is not the only tech giant looking into alternative means of providing alternative means of connecting users to the web. Facebook is also working on the same concept of alternate methods of internet connectivity. Amazon is also testing and developing drone technology to deliver items to customer’s doorstep. Zeff Bezos, in a recent news, says courier of the future is here.

Google’s motive behind this deal is to connect new parts of the world which are not using the internet connection. Also it means new customers for Google services, brand awareness and improvement in global market share of Google.

“Titan Aerospace and Google share a profound optimism about the potential for technology to improve the world. It is still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation," the company said in a statement that was also posted to the Titan Aerospace Web site. "It’s why we’re so excited to welcome Titan Aerospace to the Google family.”

It sounds like Titan will work on a variety of projects for Google.

• Titan will be able to collect photos from around the planet from high up, which could help with Google Earth and Google Maps.
• It will also contribute to Google's Project Loon, which is sending balloons into the atmosphere which then beams Internet to parts of the world that are not yet connected.
• It is also likely to work with Makani, another company Google bought, that gets wind power high in the sky, and delivers the energy back to earth through a long cable.

Doing so will mean a win-win situation for users and companies which are dealing in ecommerce and internet related business. This will provide users to access internet in rural and undeveloped areas and businesses will get wide opportunities to market and advertise their products to a wider range of audiences.

Image source: BIDNESS ETC