Google goes 'Loony', whips up a balloon-powered Internet

It's so 'loony it just might work: Google is working to bring the Internet to the masses by using balloons up in the stratosphere.

 

Project lead Mike Cassidy said this aims to address the problem of Internet access being out of reach for two out of every three people on earth.

 

"We believe that it might actually be possible to build a ring of balloons, flying around the globe on the stratospheric winds, that provides Internet access to the earth below. It’s very early days, but we’ve built a system that uses balloons, carried by the wind at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes, to beam Internet access to the ground at speeds similar to today’s 3G networks or faster," Cassidy said in a blog post.

 

He added balloons could become an option for connecting rural, remote, and underserved areas, and for helping with communications after natural disasters.

 

"The idea may sound a bit crazy — and that’s part of the reason we’re calling it Project Loon — but there’s solid science behind it," he said.

 

"We imagine someday you'll be able to use your cell phone with your existing service provider to connect to the balloons and get connectivity where there is none today.

This is still highly experimental technology and we have a long way to go—we’d love your support as we keep trying and keep flying!" he added.

 

Terrestrial challenges

 

Cassidy cited  terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity such as jungles, archipelagos, and mountains, making setting up terrestrial connections costly.

 

He said that in most countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month’s income.

 

Under the project, Google will free the balloons and let them sail on the winds, and controlling their path through the sky with just wind and solar power.

 

The next stage is to manage a fleet of balloons sailing around the world, "so that each balloon is in the area you want it right when you need it."

 

"We’re solving this with some complex algorithms and lots of computing power," he said.

 

Pilot program

 

Cassidy said Google has started a pilot program in the Canterbury area of New Zealand with 50 testers trying to connect to its balloons.

 

He said Google launched 30 balloons this week alone, and tried to connect to as many receivers on the ground.

 

"Over time, we’d like to set up pilots in countries at the same latitude as New Zealand. We also want to find partners for the next phase of our project—we can’t wait to hear feedback and ideas from people who’ve been working for far longer than we have on this enormous problem of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas," he said. — TJD, GMA News