New Connectivity Broadens Range Of The Floating ISP

Google is making some progress with its plan to offer Internet service from a constellation of balloons floating high above the Earth. The plan is designed to make inexpensive Internet service available in areas where there is currently not coverage.

Engadget reports that Google has made progress in the way it launches its balloons. A 50-foot-tall launcher affectionately referred to as "the bird house" has been developed that partially automates the launch process, bringing the time needed for a launch from 45 minutes down to 15. The Autolauncher has canvas sides to protect the delicate balloons from winds as high as 15 miles per hour, according to the report.

In another development, the floating relay stations are able to communicate independently between each other, rather than having to maintain contact with a ground station. That gives the balloons a communication range of about 250 to 500 miles, rather than having to stay within 50 miles of a ground station.

Engadget relays a report from Bloomberg News in which Google says that the increased range gives it the ability to offer Internet services to a region with eight ground stations.

The project's goal is to offer continuous Internet service for several days by the end of the year, with wider deployment of the balloons targeted for 2016 in remote areas of West Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.google.com/loon