Facebook is planning to launch a satellite to provide internet access to remote parts of Africa, the social network’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has said, the Daily Mail reports.

Working with French firm Eutelsat, the Amos-6 satellite will provide large parts of East, West and South Africa with web access from the second half of 2016.

The satellite is the latest step in connecting the world to the web through Facebook’s Internet.org free mobile data scheme – but it has been slammed by online right’s groups.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced the satellite was under construction and would be ready for launch into space in 2016 as part of the company’s Internet.org scheme. In a post on his personal page he said: ‘ We’re going to keep working to connect the world – even if that means looking beyond our planet’

In a post on his personal Facebook page Mr Zuckerberg said: ‘Connectivity changes lives and communities.

‘We’re going to keep working to connect the entire world – even if that means looking beyond our planet.’

Internet.org launched in August 2013. It is led by Facebook but is a collaboration between companies such as  Nokia and Samsung, telecom giant Ericsson, and chip designer Qualcomm.

The project was set up to connect two thirds of people globally who are offline and, in five to 10 years it hopes to reduce the cost of providing mobile internet by 99 per cent.