Google's Loon Project

The company that gave us the fastest search engine,the coolest email,an online document creation tool,the Android mobile OS,the extremely popular Chrome browser and many other world changing applications is out to change the world again this time by providing cheap and affordable internet to people across the world with the loons project.

The wireless internet we access today is either 3G,4G or Wi-Fi either through ground towers or a Wi-Fi hotspot. However Google loons project has brought an entire new thinking into this .In the Google's loon project a balloon with Wi-Fi equipment will be perched up at the stratosphere which is the layer of the atmosphere 20km above the surface of the earth, the balloon would use

solar panel and rechargeable batteries for electricity and it would have Wi-Fi equipment in it. The signal from the Wi-Fi equipment will be sent to an antenna on the surface of earth, each balloon will be able to send signals within a diameter of 40 km and a global circuit of balloons will be made.

Now the question arises Why Stratosphere? The aeroplanes and rain clouds on earth are only 10 km from the surface of the earth being at the stratosphere the balloon is safe from thunder and lightening in the clouds also there is no chance of it getting drenched with rain. There is also no chance of collision with an aeroplane since the plane never reaches stratosphere .Again in the stratosphere winds flow very slow and steady across layers , the speeds are normally between (5-20)mph or 8-32 kmph. The balloon will not be stationary but it will move across the globe with the flow of the wind and as the flow of the air is uniform across the stratosphere is uniform across the layers in same or different directions the balloon will move up and down across the layers where the flow of wind will be in the intended direction. There would be software algorithms that would control the motion of the baloon. The motion of the balloon will be controlled in such a way that when one balloon moves away from a particular area its position would be taken by another balloon

ensuring uninterrupted internet connection. An entire global circuit of such balloons will be made.

Google is starting the pilot project in new Zealand. Even today 2/3 of the world's population(4 billion) does not have access to the internet, in India the internet penetration is measly 12.5% or mere 150million in a population of 1200million plus.

If these project is successful the world would be able to access internet a t 3G speeds even from the most remote places on earth i.e. Even if you are in the jungles of Amazon or Africaor in the snow clad mountains of Himalayas you would still be able to access high speed internet.The work that needs to be done online can be done from any place on the earth no matter where.

You can have a Google hangout session from the peak of Mt. Everest with someone who is camping in the middle of African jungles we would be able to see live visuals of happenings at these remote places.

In a country like India where 70% of the population lives in villages, the Loons project will be a boon. Let's hope that Google succeeds in this world changing project.