It's been a long time since Google was just a search company. However, while the company certainly has its work cut out for it in the ads, mobile, email, and browser markets (among others), the company is constantly coming up with new and interesting side projects. The latest is called Project Loon, which hopes to deliver internet via balloons.
Yes, you read that correctly. Google is hoping to deliver internet to the two-thirds of the world's population without access to the web using a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space. These balloons will travel around 20km above the Earth's surface where winds are generally steady and slow (between five and 20mph according to Google). Software algorithms will determine where balloons need to go and will then move the balloons into a layer of wind blowing in the correct direction. Working with the direction of the wind allows Project Loon to arrange the balloons to form a large communications network. Each balloon is capable of providing internet to an area measuring roughly 40km in diameter. Project Loon operates on the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz bands) and speeds will be comparable to 3G speeds.
Google hopes Project Loon will boost education, healthcare, small businesses, and more. The pilot programme is kicking off this month in New Zealand. Google offered no information on where the project will go after the pilot programme concludes, nor did it say how long the program will last for. In the meantime, you can check out the video below below for a little more on the reasoning behind Loon:
