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Google's Loon Brings Internet-By-Balloon To Kenya (bbc.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

A network of giant balloons will soon bring internet access to remote regions of rural Kenya. From a report: Google's sister-company Loon has announced its first commercial deal: partnering with Telkom Kenya to deliver connectivity to the region. The firm's antennae-dangling fleet will ride the wind high above parts of the African country. But experts have warned that the partnership could lead to a communications monopoly.

52 comments

  1. lots of google stories today by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    seems to be lots of google stories today.

    1. Re:lots of google stories today by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      who cares if they have the elements for survival....as long as they have internet, everything is OK!

    2. Re: lots of google stories today by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      To get reliable trustworthy people to take compensation and actually build other infrastructure like sewage, water, trash, roads, hospitals, etc they need a way to communicate.

  2. And more scam and spam by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    To the rest of us

  3. In Soviet Russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Balloon brings you loon!

    There's got to be a Trump joke in there somewhere - and yeah, I voted for him. (Well, actually I voted against Hillary, but it's the same thing...)

    1. Re:In Soviet Russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Balloon brings you loon!

      There's got to be a Trump joke in there somewhere - and yeah, I voted for him. (Well, actually I voted against Hillary, but it's the same thing...)

      No, not the same thing. It's one thing to vote against a candidate you don't like, or whose policies you don't like.
      It's completely different to vote FOR a corrupt, unethical, small-handed, low-IQ, treasonous bullying narcissistic sociopath.

    2. Re:In Soviet Russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Balloon brings you loon!

      There's got to be a Trump joke in there somewhere - and yeah, I voted for him. (Well, actually I voted against Hillary, but it's the same thing...)

      No, not the same thing. It's one thing to vote against a candidate you don't like, or whose policies you don't like.

      It's completely different to vote FOR a corrupt, unethical, small-handed, low-IQ, treasonous bullying narcissistic sociopath.

      I never knew Hillary has small hands.

    3. Re:In Soviet Russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please remove yourself from the pool.
      Trump derangement syndrome people need to check themselves in the mirror for sanity.
      It's ok not to like trump but repeating opinionated talking point just shows how brainwashed you are.
      "Corrupt, unethical, small-handed, low-IQ, treasonous bullying narcissistic sociopath"? You must work for CNN or Mother Jones....

  4. Impressive by 110010001000 · · Score: 0

    Internet access from 20km in the air. I wonder if it would be possible to put communication gear even higher, even to space?

    1. Re: Impressive by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      20km has a major advantage over satellites. Geosynchronous orbit is over 35k km and you have to go there and back both ways so roundtrip ping times are horrible. For reference, the circumference of a the earth is only 40k km so you can connect any two points on earth with less than 20k km of cable versus the 70k km needed for a geostationary connection.

    2. Re:Impressive by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      LMFAO!!!

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    3. Re:Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      don't go into finance...

    4. Re: Impressive by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Good point. They save on 50km of cable. Plus ping needs to go both ways. Forgot about that.

    5. Re: Impressive by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      They may save 50km of cable but they need to use 70km of air. That means they need to use more km, not less!

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    6. Re:Impressive by GrumpySteen · · Score: 2

      The minimum monthly wage for an unskilled laborer in Kenya (which is more than a lot of rural Kenyans make) is less than the $50 monthly cost of the cheapest plans from the two existing satellite internet providers.

      Launching satellites is expensive and customers have to pay quite a bit to make that worthwhile. Launching a balloon is a hell of a lot cheaper.

    7. Re:Impressive by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Definitely. I am sure the unskilled laborers in Kenya will be happy with balloon Intenret.

    8. Re: Impressive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, like the cable is straight ?
      and also, the light or electrons in the cable is travelling much slower.

    9. Re: Impressive by Wycliffe · · Score: 1

      Good point. They save on 50km of cable. Plus ping needs to go both ways. Forgot about that.

      It's not the cabling. It's the 20 kilometers for a balloon versus the 35 THOUSAND kilometers for geostationary orbit. The ping time is 3 orders of magnitude smaller for a balloon versus satellite. Wires would still be faster than the balloons but over rough or sparsely populated areas, the balloons definitely have a niche and unlike satellite have actual usable ping times.

  5. Somewhere in Kenya by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A village is missing its idiot... https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    1. Re:Somewhere in Kenya by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      Pfft....here is actual footage:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    2. Re:Somewhere in Kenya by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      found!

  6. Experts, eh? by DeathToBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "experts have warned that the partnership could lead to a communications monopoly."

    Well, yes, as in now there is no internet service provider and once this starts there will be one internet service provider. Yes, that's a monopoly. Yes, it's also a hell of a lot better than not having internet access.

    --
    Slashdot - News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters, in ISO-8859-1 Has just realised that beta makes this signature redundant
    1. Re:Experts, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Yes, it's also a hell of a lot better than not having internet access

      "A hell of a lot better" seems relative. I liked the pre-Internet world (i.e. pre-trolls, pre-Trump, pre-24-second-news-cycle-meltdown-over-even-banal-statements-by-Trump, pre-constant-connection-zombification-of-adults-and-children, etc).

    2. Re:Experts, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are big chunks of Somalia that have no internet access. Feel free to immigrate.

    3. Re:Experts, eh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah yes, Somalia's problems are definitely caused by that non-presence of Internet and if they did have it, it definitely would spread liberty, justice, and civility, instead of exacerbating the tribalism and irl angry mobs that they have. It definitely hasn't caused the latter in America!

    4. Re:Experts, eh? by yodleboy · · Score: 1

      the experts can issue their dire warnings when other companies are beating down the doors to provide the same service... are those crickets?

  7. Thank god for internet by datavirtue · · Score: 0

    This is how I picture the facebook messenger feed:

    Uokimbe: "What's up, haven't seen you in a while?"
    Sheniqua: "Not much, got pregnant again, had child, living next to sewage ditch 50ft down from second trash heap on the right. Do you have any food?"
    Uokimbe: "No but I have internet!!!"

    I hope the internet/facebook will lead to a waste treatment facility but I'm not going top hold my breath (pun?).

    --
    I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
    1. Re: Thank god for internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have an idea.

      Let's never do anything anywhere because there are people in the world who are hungry.

      Let's halt all human progress until we can feed everyone.

      Creimer, you are an idiot, stick to spamming affiliate links. Because you sick at discourse.

    2. Re: Thank god for internet by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      "Let's halt all human progress until we can feed everyone."

      That sounds sensible to me.

    3. Re: Thank god for internet by sims+2 · · Score: 2

      Oh good because we can feed everyone now.

      We just don't because no one wants to pay for other people's bullshit. Our farms throw away enough to feed everyone needing food because it isn't "doesn't look as nice" but someone would have to pay to get it to where it needs to be.

      --
      Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
    4. Re: Thank god for internet by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Excellent! So we can restart human progress. I'll let the humans know.

    5. Re: Thank god for internet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CHORTLE! Chortle chortle chortle chortle.

      You're done for the day, I'm sure you're quite pleased with yourself on how absolutely droll your are. TEE HEEEEEE

    6. Re: Thank god for internet by datavirtue · · Score: 1

      I was actually being selfish when I brought this up. If we can get 3 billion people sewage and decent housing then their areas will be able to support going concerns that can employ those people and allow them to start business and justify having the internet. All of that is good for me. I want 3 billion more customers, how about you?

      --
      I object to power without constructive purpose. --Spock
  8. Where can you see Google? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only in Kenya!

  9. Communications Monopoly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    As if this wasn't a problem in most places in the USA.

    1. Re: Communications monopoly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A communications monopoly is better than a communications nillopoly, which is what they have in many parts of rural Kenya right now. Let the pioneers show that it is possible. Others will follow.

  10. Yes, from space by saibot834 · · Score: 1

    There are just shy of a dozen companies which try to offer satellite Internet via LEO or MEO constellations. Of course, you can get satellite Internet today already, using geostationary satellites, but the latency is high.

    1. Re:Yes, from space by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Yes. Fortunately the balloon is only 20km up so the latency isn't an issue. It makes sense to use balloons to deliver internet.

    2. Re: Yes, from space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What happens if it pops

  11. Mwumbo! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Don' look up at de moon in case you turn into de loon, dear Mwumbo!

    Oh but balu, you'll see soon, that's not de moon but a balloon, it's Google's project Loon, we all turn into loons!

  12. Balloon flight [was: Re:Somewhere in Kenya] by Geoffrey.landis · · Score: 1

    That's cool, and even arguably on-topic (since it is about balloons, although not 20-km altitude communications balloons)... but how is it that a trip from Maine to Newfoundland gets called a "trans-Atlantic expedition"?

    Trans-Saint-Lawrence-Seaway, maybe.

    --
    http://www.geoffreylandis.com
  13. The sky is falling! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So... when they crash back to earth do they go into the loony bin?

  14. This is great news! by reboot246 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Now 0bama can move back home and have internet service!
    I'll volunteer to help him pack.

    1. Re:This is great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut up, faggot.

    2. Re:This is great news! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What the fuck happened to Slashdot?

  15. I see your monopoly and raise you raptors by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1

    What monopoly? They're balloons. Just train eagles or hawks or falcons or some other bird of prey to hunt the balloons and take them down. Bonus points for training birds on the endangered species list, so Google/Loon won't be able to take countermeasures.

  16. cool beans - black rock desert revisited by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    yep, another project loon balloon over black rock desert for burning man appeared last week. very cool.

  17. Very impressive, When do they get reliable water? by Elfich47 · · Score: 0

    These companies forget that internet service is not the first thing is Maslow's Hierarchy of Need. The big three being: Food, Shelter and Sleep. Further up the chain you get Safety/Security, Friendships, Intimacy, Self Accomplishment, Self Actualization. The internet comes into play for Friendships, Accomplishments, Actualization.

    If the country you are in is still working on Food, Shelter, Sleep and Security, maybe free internet service can wait for a while.

    --
    Architectural plans are like computer source code with a couple of differences: You only compile once.
  18. As Puertoricans and Beasilians about it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just ask any puertorican and Brazilian about Googleâ(TM)s Loon. You are not going to find one single person that will say anything nice about it. In both countries the experiment was a total and absolute failure.

  19. Why can't Kenyans do this for themselves? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hmmm... could it possibly have anything to do with race and IQ?

  20. Stuff that matters by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    News for


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