Google Loon

[Grey Havoc]

Loon - A Google X Moonshot

Loon was Google X's moonshot to deliver internet connectivity to billions using stratospheric balloons.

loon.com

Alphabet's Loon balloons will get their first commercial trial in Kenya | TechCrunch

Google spin-out and now fellow member of the Alphabet family of companies Loon will get a big test in the coming months, as it begins its first commercial

techcrunch.com

Google internet balloon spinoff Loon still looking for its wings

Google's bet on balloons to deliver cell service soon faces a crucial test amid doubts about the viability of the technology by some potential customers.

www.reuters.com

Google Internet Balloon Spinoff Loon Still Looking For Its Wings - Slashdot

Google's bet on balloons to deliver cell service soon faces a crucial test amid doubts about the viability of the technology by some potential customers. From a report: The company behind the effort, Loon says its balloons will reach Kenya in the coming weeks for its first commercial trial. The...

tech.slashdot.org

 

[Grey Havoc]

Meant to post this a few days ago:

Alphabet Shuts Down Loon Internet Balloon Company - Slashdot

Google's parent firm, Alphabet, is done exploring the idea of using a fleet of balloons to beam high-speed internet in remote parts of the world. From a report: The firm said on Thursday evening that it was winding down Loon, a nine-year-old project and a two-and-a-half-year-old spin off firm...

tech.slashdot.org

A follow up story from today by the BBC:

Satellites beat balloons in race for flying internet

Google's Loon bows out - but thousands of satellites are taking to the skies to beam down the internet.

www.bbc.com

 

[TomcatViP]

Well, speaking about economic bubble....

 

[Grey Havoc]

It appears bureaucracy along with a fair bit of politics may have actually been the main reason for the project floundering.

Why Google's Internet Balloon Project Loon Failed - Slashdot

Alphabet announced last month that it was winding down Loon, a nine-year-old project and a two-and-a-half-year-old spin off firm, after failing to find a sustainable business model and partners for one of its most prominent moonshot projects. Business Insider shares more details on why the...

tech.slashdot.org

 

[Archibald]

Well that name, for a start... LOON, really ? Even with the power of "big brother Google" behind it, how could they expect in their own minds getting funded with such a hopeless name ?

And balloons, let's talk about them. "cheaper than satellites" yeah. also at the mercy of Earth very turbulent atmosphere...

 

[DWG]

And balloons, let's talk about them. "cheaper than satellites" yeah. also at the mercy of Earth very turbulent atmosphere...

Locally turbulent, but regionally predictable. There's a lot of layering in the atmosphere, with different layers moving in different directions. A balloon isn't going to hover, but if you can shift layers without expending to many resources on it, then it's not unreasonable to think they could remain within a single region, or be arranged so that as one vacates a region another arrives. And the higher they can get, and the bigger therefore their footprint on the ground, the simpler that gets.

 

[DWG]

Well that name, for a start... LOON, really ? Even with the power of "big brother Google" behind it, how could they expect in their own minds getting funded with such a hopeless name ?

Forgot to mention it would work for them in Canada, where loons are common enough they're even on the Canadian dollar.

 

[Flyaway]

Elements of this project have now been resurrected by a new tech startup founded by a group of Google R&D veterans.

In an earlier period of its history, Google became famous for pursuing a range of long-shot projects, such as space elevators, as well as kites that doubled as wind turbines. Among the most whimsical was Loon, a plan to use high-flying balloons to beam superfast internet to areas that couldn’t be served by more traditional means. The company shut down the project last year, and it’s uncertain whether anyone will ever build a significant balloon-based wireless network. But some of the key technology behind Loon is reemerging in what could end up being the fastest long-distance wireless communications system yet created.

Earlier this year, a group of Google R&D veterans founded Aalyria Technologies, a startup meant to breathe new life into their innovations. One part of Aalyria centers on taking software used by the Loon group and turning it into a cloud-based system for managing complex networks that connect things like satellites, planes, and boats with high-speed internet. Another part of the startup has repurposed a second set of former Google wares to create a line of laser-based wireless networking equipment.

Google’s Loon Project Gets Resurrected. Without Google. Or Balloons

The startup Aalyria Technologies wants to provide high-speed internet using software and networking technology from an abandoned moonshot.

www.bloomberg.com