Google Project Loon

Question: Recently Google has announce to launch “Project Loon” for Internet services in India it was launched by Google as a pilot project in which country?

(a) Australia
(b) New Zealand
(c) Russia
(d) Brazil

Ans (b)

Related facts:

  • On 16 December 2015, Speaking at the “Google for India” event, the company’s CEO Sundar Pichai announced to launch pilot project of the “Project Loon”.
  • Project Loon began with a pilot test in June 2013 in New Zealand’s South Island and in second phase it was expanded to New Zealand, California (the US) and Brazil.
  • It is planned to launch in Indonesia and Srilanka before India by the Google.
  • In India Google has offered partnership to the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for this project.
  • The Government of India in December 2015, allowed for the trial phase of this project.
  • Earlier Department of communications and IT had expressed his doubts that Google’s Project Loon will interfere with cellular transmissions of mobile operators in India.
  • Project Loon is a research and development project being developed by Google X with the mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas.
  • Loon’s balloon envelopes are made from sheets of polyethylene plastic, and they measure fifteen meters wide by twelve meters tall when fully inflated Helium-filled balloons travel approximately 20 km above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere.
  • Each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area of about 40 km in diameter using a wireless communications technology called 4G(LTE)
  • It may be noted that in terms of internet usages India ranks second in the world after China.
  • Through this project, Google in October 2015 announced to providing free WiFi to 400 railway stations of India using Rail wire network.

Reference:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/chennai-floods-google-ceo-sundar-pichai-pitches-project-loon-for-connectivity/article7997667.ece

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Google-CEO-Sundar-Pichai-We-will-bring-Project-Loon-to-India-soon/articleshow/50203190.cms

https://www.google.com/loon/how/

https://www.google.com/loon/