One after another, the parent company’s Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp projects are on hold. After closing its Portal division permanently last month, among other things, it announced the end of the Connectivity unit. For eight years, thousands of employees have worked in this department to try out new Internet connected devices.
Meta has just taken an extremely symbolic step. The American company will abandon its branch dedicated to technologies capable of offering an Internet connection using drones and satellites. Named “Connectivity”, it was created in 2014. It was to allow the group, then called Facebook, to stand out. More importantly, this division was dedicated to demonstrating that it represents more than a social network, a firm with a universal aspect.
This department’s establishment originates from the experiments carried out in the 2010s. This aimed to provide an Internet connection in developing regions and countries.
The Future Of Some Initiatives Becomes Uncertain.
Significant controversies targeted Connectivity at the time. Many have wondered why an American company should apply to solve the problems of developing countries. In 2015, Meta, where IT consultants can seek assignments, unveiled Aquila’s plans. A drone that would have used lasers to bind residents of isolated geographic areas. This project went through difficulties for several years. He was finally terminated three years later. At the same time, the division’s experts had considered sending drones into low orbit. Their idea has yet to materialize.
Connectivity has also worked with the Telecom Infra Project to develop new standards, hardware and software. Their cooperation aimed to facilitate the maintenance of telecommunications networks and improve their accessibility. Meta has also, like Google, allocated funds to submarine cables that partly support its ambitions. Will these efforts be sustained and funded? For the moment, it isn’t easy to know. Note that the Menlo Park group has given up on many projects in recent months.
The Firm Faces Falling Financial Results.
For almost ten years, thousands of people have worked at Connectivity. Their mission was to test new technologies related to telecommunications and the Web, regardless of whether they relate to:
Apps
Drones
Satellites
more traditional devices.
Employees in this division, or those who escape future staff reductions, will be reassigned to other branches.
Following exceptional growth, Meta recruited on a large scale. Over the past two years, the multinational has hired some 27,000 people. It also enlisted 15,344 between January and September 2022. These hirings, however, proved to be unquestionably disproportionate. So much so that they have caused immense unfortunate impacts.
For the second quarter in a row, the income of Mark Zuckerberg’s group fell by around half over July-September 2022. The company is desperate to save money, and the interruption of Connectivity is one of the solutions adopted.
Also Read: The Google Sandbox – Does It Exist?
