Recently Facebook announced Internet.org in
India, and now Google is also all set to bring its internet project
offering connectivity to remote areas here. According to a new report
byThe Times of India,
Google is in talks with the Indian government to introduce its Project Loon,
an internet project that uses high-altitude balloons to offer affordable
internet across the globe to people without any access.
Mohammad Gawdat, VP of business Innovation at
Google X told the news site that the company plans to launch a
commercial format that will allow coverage on “every square inch” on earth by
2016. He also said that the company is working ‘closely’ with telcos and
governments across the world to achieve this.
Project Loon uses balloons that travel 20 km
above the earth. Using software algorithms, Loon determines where the balloon
needs to go depending upon the wind. It started as a pilot project in New
Zealand wherein 30 balloons were launched. Last year in November, Google
announced that Project Loon has the ability to launch up to 20 balloons
per day. According to a Google+ post, it was possible because the autofill
equipment had improved and the time to fill the balloon had come down under 5
minutes.
The balloons can now last up to 10 times longer
in the stratosphere, than they did in 2013 and a lot of them have lasted over
100 days – with 130 days being a record, Google had said.
Besides, Google is reportedly also working on a
wind power project with an ‘aeroplane-like kite that is tethered up to 300
metres to do a manoeuvre aided by the direction of the wind’. Its movements
generate power. “We believe through this we should be able to get a 100%
improvement on the current renewable technology out there. It will be available
at a much cheaper cost,” Gawdat further told the news site.
He further said that Google is in talks with the
Indian government to deploy this wind power project here. The company
hopes to begin production by 2016.