Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has partnered with the telecommunications company, Vodacom, to use the former’s Loon balloon-powered internet solution to improve internet access in the rural areas of Mozambique.
The partnership, therefore, allows Loon to set up a network of floating cell phone towers that operate 20 kilometers above Earth.
Loon balloons work by beaming Internet connectivity from ground stations to an overhead balloon. The signal is thereafter sent across multiple balloons, creating a network of floating cell towers that deliver connectivity directly to a user’s LTE-enabled device below.
With this technology, Vodacom will be able to expand mobile network access to Cabo Delgado and Niassa provinces, which have remained un-served/under-served because of the vast and logistically challenging geographical areas, as well as low population density.
Furthermore, the 4G service provided by Loon will support Data, Voice, SMS, and USSD, thus enabling mobile financial services.
We are pleased to be part of this initiative in Mozambique, which is helping to bridge the digital divide. This is even more pertinent in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, where more citizens will now have access to healthcare information through our partnership. We look forward to forging similar partnerships and projects across the continent, as we ensure that no one is left behind when it comes to accessing the global digital economy.
Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub
With the agreement in place, the two companies are now working together in installing the necessary terrestrial infrastructure, which Loon will use as the physical connection point for its balloons to Vodacom’s internet and core network.
Additionally, Loon will also begin flying balloons above Mozambique to learn the stratospheric wind patterns on which the balloons must navigate so as to remain above the service area.
Loon is a project by Google’s parent company, Alphabet. It was launched in 2011 to bring connectivity to remote parts of the world by floating solar-powered networking gear over areas where cell towers would be too expensive to build. Loon has successfully been deployed in Peru and Puerto Rico, allowing cell networks to use balloons for free to supplant cell phone towers downed by natural disasters.
In Kenya, Loon Partnered with Telkom to increase internet access in rural areas, and already, there are eight balloons active and undergoing network integration.
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