Loon project, which was the key to Hurricane María to allow Internet access, “deflates”

Project Loon, a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google’s parent company), will stop operating its balloon system that allowed access to the Internet in remote areas or areas affected by a natural disaster.

The closure of this initiative, which began in 2011, was announced yesterday, Thursday, by its CEO, Alastair Westgargh, who indicated that they have not found a way to keep costs “low enough” to be sustainable in the long run.

In Kenya, where it was launched last year as a pilot project to cover low-density rural areas, Loon technology will cease operations on March 1, Telkom Kenya said.

Loon’s balloons operate 20 kilometers above sea level, above air traffic, wildlife and weather events.

Your role during Hurricane Maria

Loon balloons were crucial after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, when most people did not have access to the Internet.

In October 2017, it began providing connectivity with the use of helium balloons installed in the stratosphere and launched from Nevada. At that time, more than 100,000 people on the island they benefited.

The Loon project has partnered with telecommunications companies to expand the connection to remote areas so that people around the world can access the Internet directly from phones and other devices that support LTE technology.

Project Loon balloons, made of polyethylene filaments, are the size of a tennis court and are designed to remain in the stratosphere for more than a hundred days before returning to earth.