Google's parent Alphabet says it shut down Titan drone project in early 2016

Search giant Google' parent company Alphabet has confirmed it has shut down the Titan drone project. Google had acquired Titan, the maker of solar-powered drones, for an undisclosed amount in 2014 with an aim to offer internet service using high-flying drones.

According to a report by 9to5Google, engineers working with Titan have been told to look for other jobs within Alphabet/Google. Over 50 employees were involved in the process.

The team has been dissolved to other segment like Project Loon, which aims to provide internet through high altitude balloons, the report added.

In a statement on Wednesday (11 January) the X research lab spokesperson said: "The team from Titan was brought into X in early 2016. We ended our exploration of high-altitude UAVs for internet access shortly after. By comparison, at this stage the economics and technical feasibility of Project Loon present a much more promising way to connect rural and remote parts of the world."

"Many people from the Titan team are now using their expertise as part of other high flying projects at X, including Loon and Project Wing," added the spokesperson.

Social network giant Facebook was even looking to buy Titan earlier the same year for $60m (£49m) in an bid to provide internet to developing countries through the Internet.org initiative, which is led by Facebook founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg.

Project Titan, which was under the Access and Energy subsidiary of Alphabet, was absorbed into X in 2015. In the mid-2015 the Titan team experienced a crash in Arizona desert, which was said to be due to a wing fault. Last year reports surfaced suggesting Google was using solar-powered drones to to deliver 5G wireless internet access.