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Alphabet's Balloons Will Bring Cellphone Service To Puerto Rico (wired.com)
An anonymous reader writes:Hurricanes Irma and Maria wiped out more than 90 percent of the cellphone coverage on Puerto Rico. Now the FCC has given "Project Loon" permission to fly 30 balloons more than 12 miles above the island for the next six months, Wired reports, to temporarily replace the thousands of cellphone towers knocked down by the two hurricanes.
Each balloon can service an area of 1,930 miles, so the hope is to restore service to the entire island of Puerto Rico and parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In May Project Loon, part of Google's parent company Alphabet, deployed its technology in Peru and later provided emergency internet access there during serious flooding. (Those balloons were acually launched from Puerto Rico.) These new Project Loon balloons will be "relaying communications between Alphabet's own ground stations connected to the surviving wireless networks, and users' handsets," according to the article, which reports that eight wireless carriers in Puerto Rico have already consented to the arrangement.
Each balloon can service an area of 1,930 miles, so the hope is to restore service to the entire island of Puerto Rico and parts of the U.S. Virgin Islands. In May Project Loon, part of Google's parent company Alphabet, deployed its technology in Peru and later provided emergency internet access there during serious flooding. (Those balloons were acually launched from Puerto Rico.) These new Project Loon balloons will be "relaying communications between Alphabet's own ground stations connected to the surviving wireless networks, and users' handsets," according to the article, which reports that eight wireless carriers in Puerto Rico have already consented to the arrangement.
...Each balloon can service an area of 1,930 miles...
How about
Each balloon can service an area of 1,930 square miles...
Bold and additions mine...
Seriously... How is Tesla sending hundreds of its Powerwall battery systems Puerto Rico.. just a marketing ploy? Tesla started sending hundreds of its standalone power banks, and some have already arrived while more are en route.
A physical product that works well in the field.
The grid is down and it will take a long time get a lot the Puerto Rico areas back on a grid that currently doesn't exist now. The powerwall is recharged by solar.
What good is a cell phone when you need power now and can't even charge a cell phone. And you need power for other necessities more than a Cell phone where they tell you help is not available now.
I agree with almost everything you have said, but I'd like to address the last sentence: people on the island right now are using cell phones when they have access to send text messages (which require must less electric power). Some people have been keeping their cell phones off except for when they know they are near a functioning tower, and some people have been using cars to recharge them. I agree that at this point, many of those have likely worn out, especially because many people didn't bother doing this because they weren't anywhere near a functioning tower at all, but it isn't like there's no help from this. This also combines with the fact that damage isn't the same everywhere: some places have power but no cell coverage even as others have the reverse. So you are correct that Tesla's work will be helpful, but this will be too.
What good is a cell phone when you need power now and can't even charge a cell phone. And you need power for other necessities more than a Cell phone where they tell you help is not available now.
I think of the reports of the "Cajun Navy" in Texas that went out to rescue people stranded by flood waters, or in need of supplies to shelter in place. The people in the "Cajun Navy" were volunteers that were not part of any larger rescue organization, they had no real plan in place and no real hierarchy. These people were able to coordinate over cell phones and internet because cell service survived or was restored quickly. The people in need of help may have cell phones in need of a charge, or no cell phone at all, but the people coming in to help could use the cell service to be more effective.
The people that planned ahead for a smaller storm, with hand crank cell phone chargers among their survival kit, would certainly appreciate cell phone service to contact family and let them know all is well (which would prevent a diversion of resources for a search and rescue of such people) or if they are in need of supplies then they can contact others to assist in their coordination.
At a minimum we have people in need of communication for their mental well being. Humans are complex social creatures and even knowing that help is not available now is better than knowing nothing at all. People need to know that there are other people out there that have not given up and are trying. Maybe some of these people will use the cell phone service to watch cat videos, but then at least this distracts from how cold and hungry they are.
I am armed because I am free. I am free because I am armed.