Project Loon - Balloon powered internet for everyone

[ravip]

Project Loon balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere. Winds in the stratosphere are stratified, and each layer of wind varies in speed and direction. 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 >>> http://www.google.com/loon/

Anyone experienced this first hand?

How practical is it?

Thank you for your insights.

[RichCor]

You can watch the high altitude balloons on FlightRadar24 or similar service (registered under HBAL or LOON) tracked by their Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B transmitter ID).

Google Loon Project

Normally launched out of New Zealand, you can see them hovering over Australia or plying their way across the oceans along the 40th parallel south, between South America and African continents.

Though they started off with 802.11 WiFi, they've since transitioned to LTE. When the balloons are over continents, people within range but without normal LTE coverage can catch signal and use the service.

The people involved are all highly educated.

Other High-Altitude Balloons can be tracked with

tracker.habhub.org

[RichCor]

Can't see anything today, but normally if the ADS-B HBAL, HIBAL or LOON IDs are registered, you add those IDs to the end of the url here:

FlightRadar24 Simple Display preset Callsign Filter

[muratremix]

So,

how can we use it?

Does it work over Thailand?

[RichCor]

Most of the test flights are over/around the 40th parallel of the southern hemisphere.

So... no.

[RichCor]

Google’s Internet balloons may provide internet to Sri Lanka

Google has signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” to open discussions and investigate delivering LTE-based Internet to the whole of Sri Lanka, with portions of service likely provided by Google's LOON Project.

If an agreement is signed, the entire Sri Lankan island – every village from Dondra to Point Pedro – will be covered with affordable high speed internet using Google Loon’s balloon technology. An agreement would mark the first time Project Loon will be widely adopted, outside of small tests providing connectivity to rural New Zealand or various test spots along the Southern Hemisphere.

Many articles announcing an agreement between the Sri Lanka government, Sri Lanka Mobile Operators, and Google Loon as a done deal were all a little bit ahead of of themselves. So far it's just an interesting proposal with possibly some in-flight tests and demonstrations. But at least Sri Lanka is looking into adopting the tech.

Google Project Loon to provide free internet across Sri Lanka

IBTimes | By Anthony Cuthbertson | July 29, 2015

Sri Lanka is considering Google's Project Loon for country-wide internet coverage (updated)

The Verge | By Nathan Ingraham | July 29, 2015 (updated 7/30)

More about Google's Loon Project