Google Project "LOON"

With the aim to connect the world by internet by 2020, global companies such as Google and Facebook have started their projects. Facebook is working on their solar powered aircraft projects, which will provide internet services across the globe where accessibility of internet is not there. In the same way, Google is working and testing on project “LOON” which aims to beams internet access from satellites back to earth.

Google’s plan to network together high altitude balloons to provide Internet access to the world by the end of this year in some parts of the world. The Loon balloons have been successfully tested in New Zealand, U.S., and Brazil. The balloons stay at 60,000 feet for around 100 days, powered by solar panels and use the same LTE data systems that smartphone use. The idea may sound bit crazy but there is a solid science behind it. You can know more about this project on Google Project Loon website. (http://www.google.co.in/loon/)

The balloons are moving by adjusting their altitude to float to a wind layer after identifying the wind layer with the desired speed and direction using wind data from the NOAA. Users of the service connect to the balloon network using a special internet antenna attached to their building. The signal travels through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, then to a ground based station connected to an Internet Service provider then onto the global internet.

The system aims to bring internet access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing provisions, and to improve communication during natural disasters to affected regions. The project was begun in 2011 under incubation in Google X and was officially announced in June 2013. With these projects by Google and Facebook, it will increase number of internet users across the globe. This will affect online-based businesses and people can search for more information. E-commerce businesses will also get affected with increase in number of internet users. Indian Government plan of Digital India also seems to be possible if this project is successful across the globe.