Meta shuts down Connectivity division

SAN FRANCISCO: Meta has reportedly shut down its Connectivity division almost 10 years after launching the initiative.

The company will now split the division across its infrastructure and central products teams, reports The Verge.

Launched in 2013, Meta Connectivity (formerly Facebook Connectivity) aimed to increase online usage so users could access the company's social networks.

Through the initiative, the company developed and later abandoned a project that involved high-flying, autonomous drones to beam the internet to remote areas of the world.

It also focused on creating a low-Earth orbit satellite-based internet system similar to Starlink, but Amazon hired the team working on it last year.

It remains unclear when exactly Meta shut down its Connectivity arm, but the disappearance coincides with last month's layoffs and re organisation that eliminated about 11,000 jobs at the company.

Meta expects further losses in 2023 as the company is investing extensively in CEO Mark Zuckerberg's costly effort to build the metaverse.

In addition to big initiatives including satellites, drones and an internet-connected helicopter, Meta Connectivity also provided free internet in developing countries, which allowed users to access only Facebook and a few other websites.