Google parent Alphabet shuts project Loon that provided internet connections from giant balloons
Loon was first unveiled in 2013 and aimed to give internet connections using giant balloons drifting on currents high in the stratosphere.
India Today Tech | January 22, 2021 | Updated 18:41 IST
(Photo: Alphabet)
Highlights
Googles parent company Alphabet has shut down project Loon that gave internet service from high-altitude balloons in under-connected areas. Loon was part of Moonshot until 2018 after which it moved on to become an independent company within Alphabet.
According to X lead Astro Teller, Loons tech continues to live on in Project Taara that will use light to transmit information at super high speeds through the air.
Google wants to beam multi-gigabit internet to India’s most remote areas
Google’s got a bunch of nifty side projects going on that aim to make the internet accessible for all. Loon is one example, while the company’s drive to bring high-speed internet to Indian railway stations made some good headway before being discontinued. Now, the search giant wants to use light beams to bring the internet to some underserved regions in India. And to make it possible, Google is reportedly teaming up with a couple of local telcos.
For a bit of context, Alphabet’s X lab devised a way to relay internet signals through wireless optical communications links (or light beams, to make it sound less intimidating) under Project Taara. The technology is being piloted in parts of India and Africa for a few years, but Google recently made strides in sub-Saharan Africa by working with regional operators to reach more localities. ET s new report says that Google might be planning to do something simi
Google in talks with Jio, Airtel to introduce high-speed internet using light beams, says report
Google is reportedly in talks with telecom companies Airtel and Jio to introduce high-speed internet and telecom connectivity using light beams.
Yasmin Ahmed | December 15, 2020 | Updated 17:05 IST
(Picture: Reuters)
Highlights
Google is reportedly in talks with telecom companies Airtel and Jio to introduce high-speed internet and telecom connectivity using light beams.
The technology sends light beams instead of radio waves between transmitters and receivers attached to servers placed on buildings and structures.
Googles Project X noted that their team is in conversation with telcos, ISPs and governments around the world about the potential for wireless optical communication technology.
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Google has made a number of initiatives in the past as well to bring the internet to remote areas in specific parts of the country. One such initiative is Project Taara which aims to make the internet accessible wherever it is difficult to provide it, through the use of light beams.
To explain what exactly is Project Taara, Beams of light are used to deliver information just like fiber optics, but without a physical cable. The technology was developed by Alphabet s Lab X where the beam is sent between two small Taara terminals to create a link. A single Taara link can cover a distance of up to 20 km and can transmit bandwidth of up to 20 Gbps+.