Project Loon

A wireless communications system from Alphabet (parent of Google) aimed at providing affordable Internet access to everyone in the world, especially in areas with extremely slow or no access at all. Test trials began in New Zealand in 2013; however, in 2021, Alphabet announced the project was not sustainable and would be ended.

Using helium balloons traveling in wind currents several miles above airplanes and weather, solar-powered radios bounce LTE signals from earth stations to users on the ground at about 10 Mbps. To extend the distance, balloons can transmit to other balloons, and each one can last about six months. For more information, visit www.google.com/loon.

Loon is reminiscent of the Teledesic project in the 1990s that attempted to form a network of satellites for Internet access. See Teledesic.

Getting Ready

Workers unfurl the balloons to get them ready to launch into the stratosphere. (Image courtesy of Google).

Balloons Act Like Cell Towers

Each balloon covers an area about 35 miles in diameter. (Image courtesy of Google).

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References in periodicals archive

Project Loon developed by Google parent Alphabet to bring the internet to remote areas announced its first commercial deployment under a deal with Telkom Kenya (AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)

Kenya to get first deployment of internet balloons from Google parent

Igembe South OCPD Jane Nyakeruma said no injuries or damage were reported from the crash."The device from project loon indicates it fell after its expiry period of six months.

Google high altitude balloon crashes in Meru miraa farm

M2 EQUITYBITES-October 25, 2017-SES Networks, Project Loon to restore connectivity in Puerto Rico

SES Networks, Project Loon to restore connectivity in Puerto Rico

TELECOMWORLDWIRE-October 25, 2017-SES Networks, Project Loon to restore connectivity in Puerto Rico

SES Networks, Project Loon to restore connectivity in Puerto Rico

Further, with emergence of projects such as the Project Loon and Internet.org which intend to deliver wireless communication using high altitude aerostats, the large aerostats segment is expected to witness high demand in the near future.

Global Aerostat Systems Market, Industry Growth, Analysis, and Forecast To 2022 -- by Credence Resear

Led by the Google X team, Google's secretive research facility based at Mountain View, California, the first large scale pilot test of project Loon took place in New Zealand.

Elemental infrastructures for atmospheric media: on stratospheric variations, value and the commons

We applaud ambitious solutions, such as Google's plan to bring Internet access to everyone in the world (see "Project Loon," March/April 2015).

From the editor

Among the new initiatives being taken, Google is going to launch 'Project Loon,' an initiative that will provide a free Wi-Fi access to millions of users in India through a balloon-based internet service.

Good Days

Indianapolis Center was seeking altitude information for a balloon launched by Google to test a method for providing WiFi service to remote areas (Project Loon), reportedly somewhere between 50 and 55 thousand feet.

On the air

The company ultimately hopes to have a fleet of Aquilas that can fly for at least three months at a time at 60,000 feet and communicate with each other to deliver internet access.Google parent Alphabet Inc has also poured money into delivering internet access to underserved areas through Project Loon, which aims to use a network of high-altitude balloons to made the internet available to remote parts of the world.

Facebook's solar-powered internet drone makes first successful test flight

He took us throughthings such as Project Loon -- the initiative to ring the stratosphere with balloons to bring free internet access to four billion people.

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