Alphabet Shutting Down Loon, Its Balloon-Based Internet Alternative to Cell Towers
Loon aimed to bring connectivity to areas of the world where building cell towers is too expensive or treacherous by using balloons. By Reuters | Updated: 22 January 2021 10:18 IST
Photo Credit: Medium
Highlights
Among challenges were that a carrier would need several balloons at once
The company employed 200 people as of 2019
Google parent Alphabet is shutting down its Internet balloon business, Loon, which aimed to provide a less expensive alternative to cell towers, saying on Thursday that the road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped.
Founded in 2011, Loon aimed to bring connectivity to areas of the world where building cell towers is too expensive or treacherous by using balloons the length of tennis courts to float solar-powered networking gear high above the Earth. But the wireless carriers that Loon saw as buyers of it