Google Ready To Unleash Thousands of Balloons In Project Loon 48
jfruh writes Google has figured out how to produce an Internet-broadcast balloon in a few hours, and is on the verge of unleashing Project Loon onto the world. The project, which will work with ISPs to beam LTE cellular signals to remote regions that don't have Internet access, will be working with local ISPs rather than selling broadband directly to customers.
What the fuck is the point of the ISP middleman? (Score:4, Insightful)
If local ISPs are involved, then what the fuck is the point of this? Why the fuck is there still this useless ISP middleman? For crying out loud, this whole problem exists in the first place because the local ISPs weren't able or willing to invest in the infrastructure needed to provide Internet access to these regions. So why the fuck should they still be involved? Cut the middleman out, for crying out loud!
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Google uses tons of bandwidth, esp. Youtube (Score:1)
That's not how IP networking works. Bandwidth isn't consumed by the source or the destination endpoint alone, but by the combination of both source and destination endpoints and by the routing path between them as determined by routing choices in the backbone routers.
In fact, Google has more of a role in determining paths and levels of bandwidth utilization than the end user does, because Google can choose it
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LTE isn't free, you can't use the frequencies if you're not a licensed carrier. Presumably, it is easier for Google to make a deal with existing carriers who have the license rather than seek a license themselves for each and every country.
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LTE isn't free, you can't use the frequencies if you're not a licensed carrier. Presumably, it is easier for Google to make a deal with existing carriers who have the license rather than seek a license themselves for each and every country.
Balloons are short lived...
At this point it is an experiment so no need to own or be part of the cell service infrastructure.
This is not a 7x24x365.24 class service.
At some point this could become an important service in the event
of an emergency. It may also be valuable over places like the Black
Rock Desert for about one week a year.
And yes some sparse parts of the world may find value long term.
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If local ISPs are involved, then what the fuck is the point of this?
Yep, that's the question, isn't it? My local WISP (Digital Path) doesn't even answer support requests reliably, although billing is as reliable as the sunrise. How could this jerkoff waste of time move possibly help me, an actual customer with a crap last mile?
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Without ISPs there'd be no internet.
Re:What the fuck is the point of the ISP middleman (Score:4, Informative)
If local ISPs are involved, then what the fuck is the point of this?
Not really ISPs, at least as we traditionally think of them. Mobile network operators.
Why the fuck is there still this useless ISP middleman?
The MNO in question isn't the middleman, it's the service provider. It provides service to the balloons, which relay it to regions that are too remote to service now.
For crying out loud, this whole problem exists in the first place because the local ISPs weren't able or willing to invest in the infrastructure needed to provide Internet access to these regions.
No, most of these regions aren't served because it's uneconomical. It's not that no one is willing to invest, it's that it's not an "investment" if you know up front that the ROI will be negative. Putting up a bunch of cell towers to serve remote African farmers, for example, doesn't pan out economically because there's no way the farmers can afford to pay high enough fees to cover the costs of all the infrastructure. Project Loon aims to fix this by radically lowering the cost of serving those regions, to a point where it is economical, so the fees the people in the region can afford to pay are sufficient to make serving them profitable.
As for why Google is partnering with MNOs rather than deploying their own connectivity? I don't know but I'd guess a couple of reasons. First, I expect it will be feasible to scale faster by partnering with entities who already have a lot of the infrastructure in place, particularly when you consider all of the legal and regulatory hurdles (which in many areas means knowing who to bribe, and how -- Google, like most American companies, would not be very good at that). Second, by working through local companies Google will avoid getting into power struggles with the local governments. Google is helping their local businesses to grow, not replacing them.
(Disclaimer: I work for Google, but I don't know anything more about this than what I see/read in the public press.)
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ISPs are protected enterprises for many reasons. Google will not have permission to fly the balloons without some strings attached.
that reminds me of an old song (Score:2)
Nothing says "IT" like a misspelling (Score:1)
Especially when it is in the title of the article in 50 point font.
I guess ITWorld doesn't have a spellchecker.
I sent the author an email, hope he likes it.
Blah!!!
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Re:This should be amusing (Score:4, Interesting)
They talk about how they need to regularly pick up and relaunch balloons when they come down. I don't see why they would need to design the balloons without any sort of reinflation system. The leak rate is tiny, right? So:
1. A little more solar panel area than they already need.
2. Hydrogen filled instead of helium filled.
3. Tiny container of sulfuric acid (hygroscopic - self-dilutes down to a given concentration with atmospheric moisture)
4. Electrolysis cell (sulfuric acid is used as the electrolyte in some types of electrolysis cells).
Problem solved. Sulfuric acid draws moisture from the air, and during the day the solar power electrolyzes it it to produce a minute trickle of hydrogen into the balloon, which replaces the minute trickle that leaks out. Your balloon's lifespan is now as long as your electronics and envelope last.
Re:This should be amusing (Score:4, Informative)
The leak rate is tiny, right?
You would hope so, but both helium and hydrogen escape fairly rapidly through many common materials.
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Google Press Release - "We weren't expecting wind" - some time in the next few days ...
Joking aside, wind is of course a key component in project loon. They chose to set the balloons in the stratosphere where winds are relatively slow and predictable. They use altitude control and the knowledge of wind streams to steer.
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correction: in 5 years, we will be bowing down to google overlords.(they probably wont be any worse than our current government)
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A tax-free government funded entirely by mandatory advertising brain implants that show you a mental video ad once a minute.
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That's why they named it "Project Loon".
Project Loon... (Score:1)
I think a better name is order.
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I agree, I thought this was something to do with our state (MN) bird
Where will be the next quiet place? (Score:2)
Re:Where will be the next quiet place? (Score:4, Insightful)
Not "infested" with radio waves?
Nowhere in this universe.
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Good point, this place http://www.vla.nrao.edu/ [nrao.edu] is in a dead zone for artificial radio waves. It makes it ideal for research. A few balloons in the area may be like shining a search light into a telescope.
Why not keep Google Maps? (Score:4, Insightful)
Rather than waste money on balloons, why not keep the working version of Google Maps alive?
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Because ESRI was eating their lunch.
Google sucks now (Score:5, Insightful)
Time to pull all my data off your servers and never use you again. All they do now is failed social experiments, kill their good old products, and release or replace them with shitty bloated versions of their former selves. Hangouts is an abomination in privacy and design. New Google maps is bloated and sucks. Chrome doesn't get the top spot anymore in any performance benchmarks. Google is a shitty bloated company now.
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Net Neutrality maybe? (Score:1)
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You are right. No sane foreign government would, but there are lots of the other kind.
In the Southern Hemisphere (Score:2)
Loon Production (Score:2)
http://youtu.be/HOndhtfIXSY [youtu.be]
Pretty awesome.
Please put some near Cuba (Score:2)