According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is planning to develop a series of aerial wireless networks using remote controlled balloons called blimps. This is in a bid to connect emerging markets in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia; both the major cities and the rural areas close to the major cities.
The
atmospheric “base stations” will be able to transmit signals to an area of
hundreds of square of miles, which could in turn increase internet speeds in
cities of the targeted area. It is estimated that up to a billion or more
people could be connected to the internet if this venture is successful.
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| A photoshop of what Google balloon may look like. Pic: Wired Magazine |
Google
could have used a satellite for the internet services but the atmospheric base stations
are cheaper to deploy and offers a better performance.
The main
obstacle in getting this done is penetration of the Wi-Fi signals to customers
it is intended for. Transmitting and receiving of the Wi-Fi signals from such a
distance to the earth would require powerful and sensitive equipment on the
ground.
As a
result, Google is trying to utilize commercial airwaves below Wi-Fi
frequencies. If you’ve not forgotten, it was reported in March that Google was to experiment using white space (unused part of the spectrum) in television broadcasts. The white space has lower frequencies that can be used to transmit
network data across long distances at lower cost.
Another
edge it has over the traditional Wi-Fi is that it has better penetration. The
trials were carried out in educational facilities in South Africa. A member of
the Cape Town said Google’s efforts to deliver internet access to educational
facilities have “gone really, really well.”
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Google to use blimp network to connect billions in Africa and Asia