The 40% of the world population has access to internet. Only in the last four years have added nearly 1,000 million. Are good figures, but there is a problem. This growth is largely driven by the increase in urban population. Bring Internet to rural areas remains complex, expensive and impractical, especially in developing countries.
The solution, however, might not be in the optical fiber or the more advanced satellites, but in a technology with 230 years of history. The balloon
That, at least, bet Google. In June 2013 the company announced a project, dubbed Loon, to bring internet to remote areas using similar balloons to today are used in scientific and meteorological areas.
The aircraft, which You fly in the stratosphere among 18 and 20 kilometers above sea, they would be adapted to provide access to high speed internet an area of 1,200 km2. With hundreds of them on a particular geographical area, theorized the company in 2013, it would be possible to access internet similar to those of the mobile network speeds.
An unorthodox ideas, certainly, but a year and a half later test flights Loon have reasons Google executives to be optimistic about the project’s viability. The 70 active are able to stay in the air up to 10 times more than those launched last year. Some have managed to fly continuously for more than 134 consecutive days.
In the stratosphere, these balloons can reach speeds of up to 324 kilometers per hour, but the company has also learned to keep on limited geographical areas or slow its progress using different air currents at different altitudes. Google has also managed to improve launch times, today would be capable of delivering up to 20 balloons a day. “We have learned to the type of shoe is best to wear when balloons are built”, say the makers of the project.
The idea of Google is to have over 300 sailing around the southern hemisphere of the planet next year, roughly following the line of latitude 40 and giving coverage to New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. Why so many? The balloons only pass over a specific geographic area for a limited period of time, but if there are several outstanding may including witness connections happen. To achieve a continuous signal, therefore, it is essential to find the right density.
The current models have solar panels located on the transmitter capable of generating enough energy for a full day of operation in four hours exposure. Each balloon communicates with a base station connected to the network through traditional methods such as optical fiber. These stations must be installed about 100 miles away at most.
The balloons can change in height, but only a limited number of times. When they need maintenance or no longer useful, or have an accident, fall in a controlled manner from the stratosphere aided by a parachute. Equipped with GPS, Google team just picked up approach to repair or recharge of helium.
So far, Google has only given connection in three regions. The first test was conducted in a rural community in New near the city of Christchurch Zealand, with about 50 households connected through a network of 50 balloons. The second test phase has high speed connection to farmers in the central valley of California, USA. The third, in May this year in the Brazilian region of Piauí, was the first to offer access speeds comparable to LTE mobile connections.
If the tests continue to give good results, the first services trade could reach over 2016 Google not only sees this technology as a possible solution for connecting remote areas, but also as an alternative, for example, in case of natural disasters and other emergencies. Also is considering the idea of reselling access to local telephony operators in countries where decides to implement the network.
Saved technical pitfalls, the only obstacle is the legislation in the countries where Google intends to operate . Every year are released into the stratosphere over 70,000 weather balloons from virtually every country on the planet, but these balloons tend to have a much more limited time flight and may also check that the area is clear of falling traffic air (balloons float at a height well above commercial flights, but can be a problem during the phases of descent or climb). For Google, however, there is no precedent and some governments may be reluctant to the idea of having dozens of them floating almost permanently on their territory.
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