Why did Google Loon shut down?

Google is pulling its internet balloons from the sky, shutting down Loon as it was unable to make a business case for the project. Loon built high-altitude balloons that could carry equipment for beaming cellular connectivity into remote areas that would be otherwise cut off from internet services.

What happened Loon project?

So in 2013, Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced Loon, a “moonshot” project to provide internet to rural and remote regions using high-altitude balloons. Seven years later, 93\% of the planet has access to mobile internet, which sounds like a huge success. Yet Loon announced in January that it was shutting down.

What happened Google balloon?

Google’s parent-company Alphabet is scrapping a company set up to build giant balloons to beam the internet to rural areas. Loon was a long-term experimental bet from the tech giant’s “X” business unit. The balloons were the size of tennis courts and self-navigating. …

What was the reason given for shutting down the Loon internet balloon company?

Loon announced it is shutting down, citing the lack of a “long-term, sustainable business.” While we’ve found a number of willing partners along the way, we haven’t found a way to get the costs low enough to build a long-term, sustainable business.

Which global company recently shut down their ambitious project Loon which offers balloons as an alternative to cell towers to provide internet?

OAKLAND: Google parent Alphabet Inc is shutting down its internet balloon business, Loon, which aimed to provide a less expensive alternative to cell towers, saying on Thursday that “the road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped.”

Is Project Loon still going?

Citing the inability to drive costs low enough to create a “long-term, sustainable business,” Loon CEO Alastair Westgarth announced the end of the project in a blog post late last week.

Why are there balloons over Africa?

A network of giant internet-enabled balloons from Google’s sister firm Loon is to provide internet access to remote areas of Kenya. It will provide 4G coverage so people can make voice and video calls, browse the web, email, text and stream videos.

How are Loon balloons controlled?

The balloons are maneuvered by adjusting their altitude in the stratosphere to float to a wind layer after identifying the wind layer with the desired speed and direction using wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

What happened to Google Loon?

Google parent company Alphabet said Thursday that it’s shutting down Loon, a project aimed at beaming down internet connectivity from balloons floating in the stratosphere.

What happened to Google’s Balloon business?

Google parent company Alphabet has shut down its internet balloon business, Loon, which worked to beam internet to remote parts of the world. The ambitious division, which was founded in 2011, aimed to provide a less expensive alternative to cell towers, saving money for developing countries.

Why did alphabet pull the plug on Loon?

Nearly a decade after it began the project, Alphabet said on Thursday that it pulled the plug on Loon because it did not see a way to reduce costs to create a sustainable business. Along with the self-driving car unit Waymo, Loon was one of the most hyped “moonshot” technology projects to emerge from Alphabet’s research lab, X.

Can balloons bring internet connectivity to the ‘last billion’?

Alphabet promoted the technology as a potentially promising way to bring internet connectivity to not just the “next billion” consumers but the “last billion.” The giant helium balloons, made from sheets of polyethylene, are the size of tennis courts.