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Project-Loon-Feature

A little over four years ago, Google started talking about what information technology called Project Loon–an ambitious plan to deploy balloons roughly 11 miles upward to create an aerial wireless network. The balloons are positioned in wind layers based on NOAA data and float above target areas. Signals travel via LTE from one balloon to another until they reach a base station; connection to the balloons themselves is handled via specific antennas Google installs.

The proper name itself reflects how far-out (or far upward) the idea was, only at that place was a solid concept behind the crazy network. In first-world nations with advanced infrastructure, the cost of connecting an area–even if you accept to do a last mile cobweb pull–is far lower than the physical price of all of the infrastructure the fiber line or copper wire is fastened to. In much of the earth, however, this infrastructure either never existed in the outset place or was destroyed in conflicts or by scavengers.

Only equally cellular phones have brought the internet to millions of people in Asia and Africa who will likely never own a conventional desktop or laptop, Google was looking for ideas it could use to provide internet admission over even greater distances than those provided by a conventional prison cell tower. Project Loon was transferred to Alphabet when Google created that belongings corporation, and information technology previously deployed the technology in Indonesia and Sri Lanka to serve communities in both nations.

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Google's Project Loon balloons being inflated.

The FCC announced it has granted Google permission to deploy xxx balloons over Puerto Rico to provide emergency LTE service in that United states of america territory, where an estimated 83 percent of cellular towers remain offline nearly 3 weeks after Hurricane Maria struck the island. The same set of balloons will also provide emergency LTE connectivity to the U.s. Virgin Islands, which were too struck past Maria earlier this twelvemonth.

"More than than two weeks after Hurricane Maria struck, millions of Puerto Ricans are all the same without access to much-needed communications services," FCC chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement. "That's why nosotros demand to accept innovative approaches to help restore connectivity on the island. Project Loon is ane such arroyo."

Much of Puerto Rico is yet without electricity, clean h2o, or cellular service. But information technology's not clear how quickly Project Loon will be able to deploy over the isle. Alphabet has been testing the technology in Peru, simply Google will all the same need a telecom partner to deploy its service. This is honestly a bit unclear; comments by Puerto Rico's governor and from other sources country Google has previously been testing Project Loon in Puerto Rico, but manifestly those tests didn't include a formal partnership with a telecom operator.

The FCC has granted Google a license to operate the Loon-y network through April of 2022.

Feature image past ilitephoto, Flickr