Thursday, October 29, 2015

Loon Project: the balloons with the internet that Google wants to bring everyone – BBC

Loon Project, Google Image copyright Getty
Image caption Google plans to offer internet in areas of the world where there is no connection and fiber optic cabling involves high costs.

Your superpresurizados balloons, capable of delivering internet signal, have already flown million kilometers worldwide.

And Google believes it is close enough to place in the stratosphere to form a ring capable of ensuring a continuous internet signal in a small part of the planet already.

The giant Internet told the BBC that will allow you to do a test to provide continuous data service to people living below the path of aerostats, next year.

And the announcement coincided with the who made three cell phone companies in Indonesia to test network transmissions through the so-called Project Loon next year.

Sri Lanka also signed an agreement to become part of the ambitious project which seeks to employ giant helium balloons to bring internet connections to remote areas of the planet

See also:. Connecting to the Internet in places without internet signal

Speed ​​4G

Google first disclosed its plan of balloons overpressure in June 2013, when it launched 30 “envelopes” of inflatable plastic from New Zealand.

Each balloon has two radio transceivers for and send data streams , a computer flight, a GPS locator, a control system of altitude balloon rises or falls depending on the wind and solar panels to power the entire device.

Image copyright Getty
Image caption The balloons are made of plastic sealed enduring high pressure gases.

The original configuration was speed 3G data but now can offer 10 megabits per second devices connected to the balloon through antennas the ground

For a point of reference, the average connection in the UK is 15 megabits per second

See also:.. The faster Internet connections and more slow in Latin America

Other developments

“In the early days, balloons lasted between five and 10 days, but now have reached 187 days “explained Mike Cassidy, vice president of the project to the BBC.

” And we have also improved the process of launching “he said.

” Before we needed 14 people and a couple of hours will launch a balloon, now with the automatic crane can launch one every 15 minutes, with the help of two or three people “, he said.

Image caption Balloons send the signal to antennas in terrestrial internet points, to which users connect.

According to Cassidy, if all goes as planned, the experiment must achieve one of its goals in 2016.

We need about 300 balloons or less to make a continuous chain around the world “, explained. “So, as the wind moves some out of range, another takes its place.”

We look forward to next year our first ring around the world and find some way to generate continuous coverage in certain regions “.

” And if all goes well then we will launch a pilot for commercial customers platform, “he said

. Because each balloon only provides connectivity a land area of ​​40 kilometers in diameter under him, the initial ring is limited to a relatively small part of the planet while driving on a section of the southern hemisphere

See also:. How close we are to be fully connected in the air?

Cheaper cables

Google has suggested that the Loon Project could be a cheaper solution installation optical fiber cables or building Happy Birthda cellphone towers through all the islands of Indonesia, which contain the jungles and mountains.

Image copyright Google
Image caption cell phone companies in Indonesia have signed an agreement intention to offer Internet services from the Loon Project.

He said the scheme could help address the fact that over 100 million people of the 255 million inhabitants of the country are disconnected.

“From Sabang to Merauke, many people live in areas without Internet infrastructure, so we expect the internet powered by balloons may someday help give them access to information and opportunity to the Web,” Google said in a blog .

The three local networks that are associated with the scheme are XL Axiata, Indostat and Telkomsel.

“Any country that is struggling to get wired or wireless infrastructure based on earth will see the satellite, or other means of Internet distribution in the sky like a viable solution, “said Chris Green, technology consultant at Davies Murphy Group.

The advantage of a globe on satellite-based system is that should be cheaper to maintain, once they can be overcome all technical challenges.

Image copyright Getty
Image caption Google launched the first balloons in New Zealand to test and develop the technology.

“What may initially seem like a complex delivery method could become a highly innovative at a very intractable problem at ground level solution,” said Green .

Google however, is considering other options.

is also conducting a separate effort called Titan, which aims to use drones solar energy to provide Internet to unconnected parts of the world.

Meanwhile, Facebook is also developing a scheme based on similar drones.

The NASA has also experimented with technology and He believes overpressure balloons could be deployed in the atmosphere of Mars someday.

LikeTweet

No comments:

Post a Comment