Project Loon: 7 Things To Know About Google's Giant Balloon


BANGALORE: The search engine giant, Google is carrying on with their revolutionary ideas that have the potential to change the face of the world. Although, the company has bagged many accolades for redefining technology in the modern world, but this time the company is doing something different that is will provide Internet in every part of the world. In collaboration with the government, Google is setting up large giant size balloons which would connect the world with Internet.  

The project has been named Loon, which is aiming to beam internet across the world directly from the sky, eradicating the obstacles like affordability, connectivity and technology,  reports ET.

Having said that, now let us have a look what this project is all about in India:

Project Loon

This project launched two years back with much speculations on whether this would work and if yes, then how. Huge balloon are being set afloat by Google’s Project Loon where the balloons hover at a distance of 20 kilometers from the surface of the earth. These balloons transmit Internet services to places around it.

Solar Panel and Wind to Power Electronic Equipment

Each electronic unit in the Project uses an assortment of solar panels and wind to power the equipment. The solar panels have been located between the envelope and the hardware. At maximum sunlight, these panels have the potential to produce 100 watts of power which runs the equipment along with saving the charge for night. The use of renewable energy sources like wind and sunlight also stands out as a remarkable feature of the Project.  

India Is Not the First Country

These specially designed balloons that can bring internet access to everyone was first tested in Christchurch, New Zealand. The significance behind choosing this destination is the fact that a major earthquake had taken place here in 2011 which killed 185 residents and washed away internet access from here.  The project has also started in California, U.S. and Brazil.

Partnership with BSNL

The fully inflated sheet of polyethylene plastic having a width of 15 meters and length of 12 metres is estimated to float in air to 100 days at a stretch. Google will partner with BSNL in the for testing the equipment with the aid of broadband spectrum in 2.6 Ghz band.

4G speed

The technology is same as that is used for 4G services. The technology is found to be faster than mobile towers and can replace them in the near future. The service does not require any towers as the signals are transmitted from one device to another using the technology.

Internet to an area of 40 kilometers

These inflated balloons will offer accessibility of Internet within proximity of 40 kilometers in diameter. The service would be in the form of wireless communications technology called LTE or 4G.

Project Loon Partners With Telecom Companies

To make LTE accessible to everyone, Google is forming partnerships with telecom companies in this Project Loon. Establishing partnerships will help the project to share cellular spectrum making internet available to a mass population from their phones and other LTE-enabled devices.

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