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Google's Loon Brings Internet-By-Balloon To Kenya (bbc.com)
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.
"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
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.
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!
Now 0bama can move back home and have internet service!
I'll volunteer to help him pack.
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.