Government Approves High-flying Project Loon: Google’s Balloon-powered Internet Venture Begins Next Month

Following the recently concluded event that marked the grand unveiling of their Pixel smartphones, Pixelbook, and Daydream View 2, among other products, Google is setting its sights on the horizon with its innovative and airy venture known as ‘Project Loon’—a project designed to provide internet access powered by a fleet of high-altitude balloons.

The ambitious Project Loon has Google floating balloons at a height of 20 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, each serving as individual internet relays that can beam internet services to selected locations across the globe. However, the project has encountered headwinds from the telecommunication department, grappling with regulations set by the American Civil Aviation. These matters will undergo careful scrutiny, being closely monitored by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) starting next month.

Sources from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) revealed that Google had requested the government allocate a 700 KHz spectrum band to facilitate a test run of the service. Until recently, such requests remained unheeded, with the DoT showing a degree of inflexibility. However, the technological horizon changed last year as the government approved the testing of Project Loon, even forming a committee specifically for the task. Interestingly, DoT has urged Google to partner with a telecommunication operator for the testing of its services to address issues related to spectrum management.

Project Loon has previously been tested in New Zealand, the United States, and Brazil, where Google employed high altitude balloons to supply internet services across expansive geographical areas, demonstrating the potential to fill the conventional role of mobile towers. The technology used during these trials even showcased compatibility with LTE service testing, illustrating Project Loon’s ability to transmit signals directly to 4G mobile phones.

Earlier this year, the project entered a partnership with South American telecom operator Telefonica to deliver basic internet connectivity to flood-stricken regions around Lima, Chimbote, and Piura. Thanks to Project Loon, over 160GB worth of data covered the 40,000 square kilometers of affected areas.

According to the official Project Loon website, Google intends not merely to launch but maintain a fleet of balloons capable of providing consistent internet services to users on the ground. The use of auto-launchers ensures a safe and systematic launch of these internet-bearing balloons every thirty minutes.
The company proudly states, “We have flown over 19 million km of test flights to date since the project began—with one of our record-breaking balloons surviving for 190 days aloft in the stratosphere”.

The company also clarified that the rapid internet atmospheric transmission originated from the nearest balloon, facilitated by the project’s telecommunication partners. It is then relayed across the balloon network and finally transmitted to users on the ground. The company’s assertion, “We have demonstrated data transmission between balloons over 100 km apart in the stratosphere and back down to people on the ground with connection speeds of up to 10 Mbps, directly to their LTE phones,” signifies a bold step toward making high-speed internet accessible and universal.

With Project Loon, the future of internet service may likely be found levitating in the skies. The concept of a floating internet balloon further pushes the limits of our technologically driven world—leading us to wonder what Google will be testing next!