ICYMI:
Loon is part of a portfolio of
Google's project X, check website yake below:
X – The Moonshot Factory
Loon website below:
Loon
Tayari wamekuwepo Kenya kwa mda mrerfu tu lakini wamekuwa waki-operate on a trial/or pilot basis, kuna hata kipindi moja ya balón yao ilikutwa imeangukia kwenye shamba la mkulima wa kahawa.
Zaidi ya Kenya wamekuwa walkifanya trials ktk nchi nyingine pia kama New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Puerto Rico etc. waliomba kafaya trials in India lakini wakanyimwa kibali. na serikali.
Kwasababu Google sio Mobile Network Operator (MNO), ili mtumiaji aweze kupata service ni lazima Google waingie partnership na local MNO's like Safaricom, Airtel etc ambao wana-own terrestrial networks.
Faida yake ni ku-extend terrestrial network capacity and coverage kwenye under-served, or unserved hard-to-reach rural and peri-urban communities.
Facebook nah wamekuwa wakifanya research kwenye similiar initiative lakini kwa kutumia solara drones, project Yao inaitwa
"Aquila", inaonekana kama siku hizi interest yao imepungua na wameanza ku-focus kweye micro-satellites na Open source cellular infrastructures ambazo zinakuwa owned na local communities.