Facebook has unveiled its first full-scale, solar-powered, internet-broadcasting drone.

The ‘Aquila’ aircraft has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, and Facebook says it will help it achieve its Internet.org campaign goal of bringing internet access to the most remote parts of the world.

The 400kg plane can hover between 18,000 and 27,000 metres, well above the altitude of commercial aeroplanes, so it will not be affected by other flyers or problematic weather.

The solar-power enhanced drone is lifted into the air by helium balloons, and can fly for 90 days at a time.

It is designed to travel around a three-kilometre radius over the 10 per cent of the population that does not have any internet access.

The drones are part of the broader Internet.org initiative, which Facebook says will provide internet access to the two-thirds of the world that currently cannot get a reliable connection.

The company does not anticipate facing any immediate policy or legal hurdles in testing the drone in the US, even though it is the first company to fly at such altitudes.

Facebook has also formed a team specifically to work with policy-makers on any guidelines or protocols that will be needed to roll-out the drones around the world.