Google has purchased drone company Titan Aerospace, indicating that the company is planning a drone-powered internet initiative that would rival Facebook's.
A statement on the Titan Aerospace website confirms that the company is joining Google.
“It’s still early days for the technology we’re developing, and there are a lot of ways that we think we could help people, whether it’s providing internet connections in remote areas or helping monitor environmental damage like oil spills and deforestation,” the statement reads.
Facebook made waves last month when it unveiled a new project aimed at delivering internet connectivity to the unconnected using drones and other new technologies. The social networking giant acquired solar-powered drone company Ascenta for $20 million to help fulfil this ambition.
Facebook had been rumored to be planning to bid for Titan Aerospace before it announced the Ascenta acquisition. The deal was said to be worth some $60 million.
Google meanwhile has its Project Loon, an ambitious initiative to deliver internet connectivity via a ring of high-altitude relay balloons. The Titan acquisition suggests that Google may be planning to add drones to the project.
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