2021-01-22 12:35:46 GMT2021-01-22 20:35:46(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
NAIROBI, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) Kenya s mobile phone operator, Telkom Kenya and Google s Loon Services on Friday announced that the Loon technology pilot will be discontinued from March 1.
Telkom Kenya and Loon said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi that the drastic move follows the announcement that Loon is being wound down as a company, globally.
They said the intent of the Loon technology pilot was to help bridge the digital divide through the provision of 4G/LTE coverage using floating cell towers, in areas that were difficult to access and connect via terrestrial solutions, as well as in areas that were not commercially viable for service providers.
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
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This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers. Sign up to get it delivered free to your inbox. It was an admittedly Continue Reading
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It was an admittedly loony project in the first place: Loon, a much-hyped project aiming to deliver internet via helium balloons, will be shuttered, Google’s parent company Alphabet said late Thursday.
Formed nearly ten years ago within the tech giant’s “moonshot”-focused research lab, X, the hope was to use the balloons to send internet service into areas that have limited to no internet access. While the numbers are hard to come by, an estimated 3 billion to 4 billion people in the world today still