Project Loon Latest News: Balloon Internet Project by Google Cleared for Puerto Rico Launch
Google's parent company Alphabet Inc. looks to restore cellular service to parts of battered Puerto Rico using a fleet of solar-powered balloons. This Friday, the FCC has given Project Loon a green light to proceed with their ambitious plan.
If successful, the project's balloons would deliver much-needed communications and online connectivity to Puerto Rico, as the FCC issues an "experimental license" to the company for the launch.
The project has an existing track record in Peru, where the company's Internet-providing balloons helped establish emergency communications after unrelenting rains and floods disabled areas of the country back in March.
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Puerto Rico will prove to be a bigger challenge, however. In the case of Peru, Project Loon was already in the middle of tests with Telefonica in the country when disaster struck.
Moreover, the impact of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico's cellular infrastructure has been massive. According to a new report by the FCC, 83 percent of cell sites in the country are still out of commission as of this time, and this figure is not expected to improve by much anytime soon.
Project Loon started as one of Google's "moonshots" back in 2013, and has since become a part of Alphabet Inc. X Division's "innovation lab" highlights. This project, which aims to bring Internet access to remote areas or regions recovering from disasters, is about to make a high-profile launch in Puerto Rico, according to Engadget.
The X Division has confirmed via an earlier statement that they have made "Solid progress" on integrating with a telco on the U.S. territory, which has been hard-hit by Hurricane Maria almost a month ago. The disaster has left "millions without power, communications, and water," U.S. senators said according to the Atlantic.
The video below shows an explanation of Project Loon, one of Google's most ambitious projects to date. Among its goals of bringing the Internet to rural and remote areas, the project also looks to help bring people back online after disasters, like the case with Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.