Google isn't the only web giant buying its way into the robotics game, or the ubiquitous global Internet game, for that matter. According to TechCrunch, Facebook is in talks to buy Titan Aerospace, a maker of high-flying, solar powered drone aircraft capable of staying aloft for up to five years without ever having to land or refuel -- ideal platforms for beaming Internet to remote regions of the world where Facebook's "next billion" are currently waiting to be plugged into the web.

    If the rumors are true -- Facebook declined to comment on what a representative termed "rumors and speculation" in an email to Fortune -- Facebook (FB) could soon leverage Titan's technology to challenge everyone from Google (GOOG) to mobile carriers in parts of the world where Internet is scarce (and where CEO Mark Zuckerberg sees Facebook's next big growth opportunity). A fleet of 11,000 Titan aircraft could loiter in the sky high above remote regions providing enough signal to connect populations below with the rest of the world. And if Facebook owns the drones, it stands to reason those people will be connecting through platforms like Facebook's eponymous social network or recent acquisition WhatsApp.

    The concept is very similar to Google's Project Loon, which is currently testing a network of high-flying weather balloons acting as overhead Internet hubs for remote regions in the South Pacific. But Titan's technology could trump Google's in several aspects. Titan's aircraft are more like low-flying satellites than high-flying aircraft (in fact the company refers to them as "atmospheric satellites"), capable of carrying a whole lot of payload for long periods of time.

    Unlike conventional aircraft, the solar-powered Solara 50 and Solara 60 don't have to regularly land to refuel -- onboard batteries store enough energy during the day to power the aircraft through the night (as well as enough to power 70 pounds and 250 pounds of payload, respectively). Unlike satellites and balloons, they can be rapidly repositioned to provide coverage where needed. If something goes wrong, they can land for repairs and relaunch rapidly -- something far more difficult for balloons and impossible for satellites. Flying in an atmospheric sweet spot roughly 10 miles above sea level known as the tropopause, the aircraft are generally untroubled by winds, weather, commercial air traffic, and most international aviation regulations (the FAA, for example, stops regulating air traffic at roughly 60,000 feet).

    Moreover, if the acquisition proves real, Facebook could be getting Titan at just the right time. Thus far privately held Titan (the company has offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, but runs its research and development out of Moriarty, N.M.) has supported itself through seed funding, and while it has demonstrated its technology in test flights, the Solara 50 and Solara 60 won't be ready for commercial service until later this year and next year, respectively. When Fortune spoke to Titan leadership in August at the world's biggest drone confab in Washington, D.C., senior engineers stressed that their focus is on producing a sub-$2 million aircraft that is simple to operate and maintain and that they were almost ready to put one in the sky, though they hadn't -- yet.

    谷歌（Google）并不是唯一一家靠收购杀入机器人大战的科技公司。据科技网站TechCrunch报道，Facebook目前正在与一家太阳能高空无人机厂家Titan Aerospace接洽。这家公司生产的无人机能够在高空执行任务长达五年，中间无需落地加油。这正好是用来向世界欠发达地区提供互联网接口的理想载体，也是Facebook最有可能招揽来“下一个十亿用户”的平台。

    Facebook拒绝对此事发表评论，公司一名代表在写给《财富》的一封电子邮件中称此事只是“传言和推测”。不过如果传言是真的，那么Facebook可能很快就能利用Titan Aerospace的技术，在全球网络不发达地区对谷歌和各大移动运营商形成强有力的挑战（Facebook公司CEO马克•扎克伯格也认为这些互联网发展滞后的第三世界国家将是Facebook下一个巨大的增长机会）。只要11000架Titan无人机，就可以在高空中向这些地区覆盖足够的信号，让所有接触不到互联网的人都感受到网络的方便与快捷。如果Facebook拥有了这些无人机，那么我们可以很自然地推测，这些国家和地区的人们无疑会用上Facebook的社交网络以及它最近刚刚收购的WhatsApp来跟人联系。

    这个理念与谷歌气球计划大同小异。谷歌的做法是用高空气象气球搭载相关设备，让它充当一个大型的悬空Wi-Fi信号源。目前，谷歌正在南太平洋测试这种“气球阵”网络。但是Titan的技术可能在好几个方面都比谷歌的“气球阵”更理想。首先Titan的无人机比起一般的高空飞行器更像一种低轨道的卫星（甚至连这家公司自己都称它们是“大气层中的卫星”），而且它的载重量很可观，还可以飞行相当长的时间。

    其次，与传统飞行器不同，这家公司的Solara　50和Solara　60型太阳能无人机不需要经常着陆加油。它们机身上的电池会在白天储存足够的能量，支撑无人机度过夜晚，而且这两型无人机分别有着70磅和250磅的载重量。另外，无人机不像卫星和热气球，它可以迅速改变位置，到达需要的地方进行覆盖。由于它可以飞到海平面以上10英里的高度，也就是对流层顶部，因此不用担心它们受到气流、天气和民用航空器的影响。另外，它的高度也超过了国际大多数航空管制规定的范畴（比如美国联邦航空局的高度管理上限大约是60,000英尺）。

    另外，如果这笔收购是真的，Facebook在此时收购Titan也是一个正确的时机。目前Titan还是一家私人公司（它在华盛顿和纽约市都有办事处，但它的研发工作主要是在新墨西哥州的墨里亚蒂），资金主要来自种子基金。而且，虽然它已经通过试飞证明了自己的技术，但是Solara 50还要等到今年年底才有可能投入商用，Solara 60则至少要等到明年。Titan公司高层去年8月在华盛顿举办的世界最大的无人机展会接受《财富》采访时，几位高级工程师强调，他们的目标是生产价格在200万美元以下、且便于操作和养护的无人机，而且他们差不多已经准备好试飞了，只不过当时还没有。

    At a reported $60 million, the deal would cost just a fraction of what Facebook just shelled out for WhatsApp. But Titan could be an important accessory technology for WhatsApp and could help answer the much-debated question of why Facebook paid so much for a messaging app. If Facebook scooping up a drone manufacturer comes off as a strange way for a software company to move into hardware, consider:

    • Facebook is committed to connecting its "next billion," and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has both vocally and financially supported efforts to bring the two-thirds of humankind who aren't on the Internet into the fold. (Facebook is one of the largest backers of the Internet.org initiative, which aims to bring Internet access to the 5 billion people in the world that don't have ready access to the web.) With Titan's technology Facebook could put Internet hubs into the sky in huge numbers relatively quickly -- much faster than carriers will lay cable, anyhow. According to TechCrunch, Facebook plans to do exactly that via a fleet of 11,000 Solara 60 aircraft that will be built solely in support of Internet.org's mission.

    • With another 1 or 2 billion people connected to the web, social media platforms like Facebook and messaging apps like WhatsApp become decidedly more valuable. This is especially true considering that the signal provided by aircraft like Titan's would be relatively weak compared to a fiber optic connection. Bandwidth-heavy applications won't fly, at least not at first, but messaging, status updates, newsfeeds -- basically everything Facebook provides -- would be natural fits for these networks and their billion-plus new users.

    • All that basically makes Facebook its own service provider, giving Facebook a lot of control. Not only would this instantly start that "next billion" out using Facebook's platforms, and it would give Facebook further leverage against carriers across the globe when it attempts to negotiate "zero-rate" deals in which people can use Facebook without it counting against their data plans. Facebook has arranged several such deals in the developing world and argues that it increases profits for mobile carriers by encouraging overall mobile use, but some carriers disagree. If Facebook could bypass carriers and provide its own Internet-in-the-sky, carriers would be forced to consider zero-rating more seriously.

    • Taking a longer view, Titan makes Facebook much more than just a means of moving data across networks. The Solara 60 is designed to carry 250 pounds of payload, likely more than Facebook would need to beam Internet to the ground. The remaining space could be rented out by governments or research agencies, or packed with Facebook's own data collecting instruments. Mapping, weather research and forecasting, atmospheric science, civil aviation tracking -- Facebook could gather a lot of persistent, rich data from way up there, either for its own use or for sale to others. Don't forget that Titan's technology had a value proposition before Facebook arrived, and if Facebook buys the company that value isn't going anywhere.

    If the deal happens, Facebook could create hundreds of millions or even billions of lifetime users whose first regular experience with the Internet is via Facebook's infrastructure and apps. And it could become an important collector and disseminator of data -- something like its competition in Mountain View -- in the offing.

    Titan was not immediately available to comment for this story. Facebook declined to comment.

    据说Titan公司的收购价只有6000万美元，与Facebook刚刚给WhatsApp开出的慷慨支票相比可谓不值一提。但是，Titan的技术可以为WhatsApp提供一个重要的附加值，而且有助于解答一个颇具争议的问题：Facebook为什么在一个消息应用身上花这么多钱？如果你觉得吃下一个无人机厂商对于Facebook来说是进军硬件领域的一招怪棋，不妨考虑一下以下几点：

    • Facebook正在致力于接近它的“下一个十亿用户”。世界上还有三分之二的人尚未用上互联网。为了把这些人吸引过来，马克•扎克伯格已经在积极地出钱出力，奔走呼号。（比如Facebook就是Internet.org最大的支持者之一。这个组织致力于让全球50亿无法接入网络的人们联网，实现“人人有网上”。）有了Titan公司的技术，Facebook可以在短期内向全球的天空部署大量无线网络信号源——不管怎么说都比拉电缆的运营商要快多了。据TechCrunch报道，Facebook计划完全靠internet.org的支持，打造一支由11,000架Solara 60组成的Wi-Fi无人机大军。

    • 随着全球新增10到20亿网民，Facebook等社交媒体平台以及WhatsApp等通讯应用无疑将变得更有价值。尤其是考虑到无人机提供的信号要比光纤网络慢一些，有些占用带宽过高的程序可能光靠“无人机Wi-Fi”带不动，至少一开始不行。但是，像即时通讯、状态更新、新闻推送等不占带宽的程序（也就是Facebook提供的所有服务）非常适合这种网络以及它的十几亿新用户。

    • 这样一来，Facebook基本上成了自己的服务提供商，使它拥有了很大的控制权。它不仅仅有助于为Facebook迅速带来“下一个十亿用户”，而且还会让这家公司在与全球各大运营商就“免流量计划”进行谈判时能够更有底气。现在Facebook已经在一些发展中国家推出了“免流量”计划，它认为这种免流量计划可以促进移动网络的总体使用，从而也会间接提高移动运营商的利润，尽管有些运营商并不这么认为。如果Facebook能够绕过运营商，直接在高空提供自己的网络接入服务，则运营商们将被迫更加认真地考虑Facebook的免流量计划。

    • 从更长远的角度看，Titan对于Facebook的意义并不仅仅是一种传输网络数据的手段。Solara 60无人机的最大设计载重是250磅，Facebook很可能并不需要这样大的载重。剩下的空间可以出租给政府或研究机构，或者搭载Facebook自己的数据收集仪器，收集地图测绘、天气研究与预测、大气科学、民航追踪这类数据。借此，Facebook可以在高空持续收集大量数据，既可以自用，也可以卖给其他公司或机构。不要忘了，就算没有Facebook，Titan的技术本身也是有自己的价值定位。就算被Facebook买了下来，它本身的价值依旧不容小视。

    如果这笔交易真的发生了，Facebook可能将获得几亿甚至几十亿终身用户，他们将通过Facebook的基础架构和应用完成与互联网的第一次亲密接触。而且它将成为一个重要的信息收集和传播工具。截至发稿时，Titan公司未能及时回应这一传闻，而Facebook则拒绝就此事发表评论。（财富中文网）

    译者：朴成奎