Facebook will use an Israeli satellite to provide free internet access to sub-Saharan Africa, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement Monday.

The technology giant plans to use the AMOS-6 satellite, built by Israel Aerospace Industries and operated by Israeli company Spacecom, as part of its Internet.org initiative. The program, which is being run in conjunction with the French satellite company Eutelsat, will go live in the second half of 2016.

“Over the last year Facebook has been exploring ways to use aircraft and satellites to beam internet access down into communities from the sky,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page. “To connect people living in remote regions, traditional connectivity infrastructure is often difficult and inefficient, so we need to invent new technologies….Facebook’s mission is to connect the world and we believe that satellites will play an important role in addressing the significant barriers that exist in connecting the people of Africa.”

Facebook and Eutelsat added in a statement that the satellite launch means that they “will each be equipped to pursue their ambition to accelerate data connectivity for the many users deprived of the economic and social benefits of the Internet.”

Internet.org offers free access to a pared-down version of the internet, focusing on employment, agriculture, healthcare, and educational information, as well as access to Facebook.

[Photo: Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook]