Google ambition, Project Loon comes to India

New Delhi: Google's ambitious Project Loon has been launched in India. The search engine major is running a pilot with the Government of India providing Internet connectivity by using large balloons.

Named Project Loon, Google, uses big balloons floating at a height of 20 kilometres above the Earth's surface to transmit Internet services. It has already tested this technology in New Zealand, California, and Brazil.

"Google approached government to set up the Loon project and drone-based Internet transmission. Government has approved testing of Loon project only as of now. A committee under chairmanship of Secretary, DeitY, has been formed to work on it," an official source told PTI. The source said that Google may operate as technology service provider and not as Internet service provider.

Google may initially partner with BSNL for testing this technology by using broadband spectrum in 2.6GHz band. As per Google, each balloon can provide connectivity to a ground area about 40 km in diameter by using LTE or 4G.

It also uses solar panel and wind to power electronic equipment in the balloon throughout the day.

"The DeitY committee is looking at various aspects to facilitate test like identifying locations, coordination with various agencies. Under the drone project, Google had plans to transmit Internet on ground using 8 big solar powered drones but that has not been cleared by government yet," the source told PTI.