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JimBob

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    Google to Deliver Internet Access With Balloons

    in General Topics

    Posted

    "Google is launching a fleet of radio-equipped balloons far up in the stratosphere, twice as high as commercial aircraft fly. Instead of trying to keep them one place–which is very difficult because of prevailing winds–Project Loon is based on the notion of riding those winds with groups of balloons in planned ways that keep them close enough to each other to form communications networks, the company says.

     
    Signals pass among the balloons, as well as to antennas on the buildings of users on the ground and to control stations, the company says. The company says it designed its radios and antennas to send and receive signals from Project Loon only, filtering out interference that would make it hard to create high-bandwidth data connections over long distances.
     
    The balloons are completely solar-powered, Google says, so they can stay aloft for a long time. It plans to keep air traffic controllers informed of balloon launches and descents, and direct them to land at collection points regularly to reuse and recycle their parts.
     
    Proving it can actually work will take tests, of course. So the company says it has started a pilot program in the Canterbury area of New Zealand, with 50 testers trying to connect to its balloons. Assuming the results are positive, it plans further tests in similar latitudes to New Zealand, and to seek partners.
     
    Besides providing connections to stationary antennas in rural areas, Google is also dreaming of connecting mobile devices eventually.
     
    “We imagine someday you’ll be able to use your cell phone with your existing service provider to connect to the balloons and get connectivity where there is none today,” writes Mike Cassidy, project lead for the Loon effort, in the blog post."
     

    Motorola X Users Thread!

    in Motorola

    Posted

    I do not care where a phone is made as long as it is good quality and cost. If the United States cannot deliver that, then we need to up our game or be content with the trade. Not everything needs to be made in America; we should support a free market (mostly).

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