"Project Loon" is said to ensure affordable Internet access as well in remote and hard-to-reach areas. The US corporation has sent up 30 gas balloons into the air - to be precise 20 kilometers above us into the stratosphere - in New Zealand for testing purposes. Aground, 50 testees were able to enjoy stable Internet connection.
"We had believed, that it might work. Now we know", said project head Mike Cassidy towards the German press agency. In a
blog entry he also promised, that people will be provided with UMTS-speed Internet. One major advantage is the accessibility, as it is now possible to restore Internet connections faster after catastrophes. However, it is difficult to control a bunch of worldwide-spread balloons high above the ground.
"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", was furthermore stated.
The balloons come with aerials, batteries, computers, solar cells and navigation units, which are supposed to transfer wireless Internet. Stratospheric winds are believed to handle the ideal position of the balloons due to correct wind direction and speeds. Later on, many balloons are connected to create some kind of network.
What do you say to Google's newest project? Do you think it's possible in the future to connect with the Internet through a balloon?
