While Google's CEO Sundar Pichai is waking waves in India with his humane charm and subtle display of intelligence, his company's much ambitious project called the Project Loon is facing a tough time to being able to see the daylight in the country. According to some media reports floating the net, the project is facing strong opposition from at least three of the main Indian ministries, which includes defence, telecom and civil.
Project Loon is a balloon-based project, which aims to provide internet access to all in the country.
Apparently, Project Loon is also on Pichai's agenda of discussion when he meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this week. The two had first discussed the project during Modi's much talked about Silicon Valley visit in the month of September. According to some sources, the Prime Minister’s Office is directly monitoring the progress of Project Loon.
Through this project, the Internet giant's mission is to provide internet access to rural and remote areas in the country. The project will be making use of high-altitude balloons, some 18 km from the ground, to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds transmitting as far as 40 kms in diameter.
Project Loon is most likely a short for loony since the company itself came up with an idea to provide internet services to 5 billion population.
To those, still skeptical about its working, Project Loon balloons will basically float in the stratosphere layer on a height twice as high as the weather balloons and aeroplanes.
[caption id="attachment_102812" align="aligncenter" width="700"]
Loon uses high-altitude balloons, 18 km from the ground, to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds transmitting as far as 40 kilometers in diameter [/caption]According to the company, the balloons involved in Project can go anywhere they need to by descending or rising into a stratum of air, blowing in the desired direction of traveling.
According to the company, the balloons involved in Project can go anywhere they need to by descending or rising into a stratum of air, blowing in the desired direction of traveling.
The project is facing opposition from the ministers because they are concerned that the balloons may interfere with flight paths. That's why the Civil aviation is in the favour of these balloons been monitored via the Air Traffic Control in order to avoid accidents. On the other hand, the home ministry is concerned that the balloons might get used for surveillance creating a safety issue for the entire country.
Whether the Project is able to see the light of the day, is something which we will have to wait and closely watch.
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