Balloons Google: connected anywhere - RaiNews24

California, 15-06-2013

Into Google launched Project Loon, experimental technology of the reach and potential ‘revolutionary: the idea of ??an O-ring balloons, flying around the world taking advantage of the stratospheric winds, are able to provide access (cheap and reliable) Internet in rural, remote and underserved of the Earth, or be of assistance after natural disasters that have hit the communications infrastructure.

Into Carried by the wind at an altitude twice that used by commercial aircraft, hot air balloons can provide internet access on the ground at speed ‘similar to that of existing 3G networks, or even higher. The goal of Google and ‘create a ring of balloons flying around the world taking advantage of the stratospheric winds to connect to the web at an affordable cost, or be of assistance in case of natural disasters that have hit the communications infrastructure.

Into the ground stations are connected to the internet infrastructure site and transmit signals to the balloons. The balloons are able to communicate among themselves, forming a mesh network in the sky. The participants in the pilot project will connect to the network using a special antenna balls placed on their home internet, able to send and receive signals from passing balloons in the sky.

Into The pilot project ‘started this week with dozens of balloons launched from Tekapo in the Sou th Island in New Zealand. A group of about 50 people participating in the test in Christchurch and parts of Canterbury has now Internet special antennas that can connect to the network created by the balloons in a radius of 20km from their home.

Into The entrepreneur Charles Nimmo of Leeston and ‘was the first person in the world to connect to the internet via a balloon. The launch team is constantly coordinating with the authorities’ civil aviation whenever there are balls or launch into the air. Once in the stratosphere, the balloons will be at an altitude twice as’ high compared to the commercial aircraft and will be barely visible to the naked eye. The experience of the test will be ‘used to improve the technology and to define the next phase of Project Loon.

Into “We think – said Mike Cassidy, chief project ‘Loon’, on Google’s blog – that you can actually build a ring of balloons flying around the globe taking advantage of the stratospheric winds to provide Internet access to the territories below. We really in its infancy, but we have built a system that uses balloons blown by the wind flying at a height twice that used by commercial aircraft. And we hope that it may become an option for connecting rural areas, remote or under-served areas and to make possible communications during natural disasters. “