Balloons enable internet access in remote areas

30th July 2015

Google

Jordan Mulcare

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Many of us think of the internet as 'worldwide', however two-thirds of the world’s population does not yet have internet access. Project Loon, from Google, is a network of balloons travelling on the edge of space, designed to connect people in rural and remote areas, help fill coverage gaps and bring people back online after disasters.

Project Loon balloons float in the stratosphere, 20km above the Earth’s surface, twice as high as aeroplanes and the weather. In the stratosphere, there are many layers of wind, with each layer varying in direction and speed. Loon balloons go where they’re needed by rising or descending into a layer of wind blowing in the desired direction of travel. Project Loon uses software algorithms to determine where its balloons need to go, then moves each one into a layer of wind blowing in the right direction. By moving with the wind, the balloons can be arranged to form one large communications network. Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area about 40km in diameter using a wireless communications technology called LTE.

By partnering with telecomms companies to share the cellular spectrum, Google have enabled people to connect to the balloon network directly from their phones and other LTE-enabled devices. The signal is then passed across the balloon network and back down to the global internet on Earth. Balloons relay wireless traffic from cell phones and other devices back to the global Internet using high-speed links.

The inflatable part of the balloon is called a balloon envelope. A well-made balloon envelope is critical for allowing a balloon to last around 100 days in the stratosphere. Loon’s balloon envelopes are made from sheets of polyethylene plastic, which measure 15x12m when fully inflated. When a balloon is ready to be taken out of service, gas is released from the envelope to bring the balloon down to Earth in a controlled descent. In the unlikely event that a balloon drops too quickly, a parachute attached to the top of the envelope is deployed.

Project Loon began in June 2013 with an experimental pilot in New Zealand, where a small group of Project Loon pioneers tested Loon technology. The results of the pilot test, as well as subsequent tests in New Zealand, California’s Central Valley and in Northeast Brazil, are being used to improve the technology in preparation for the next stages of the project.