Loon LLC
Aerial Internet project (2011–2021) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Loon LLC was an Alphabet Inc. subsidiary working on providing Internet access to rural and remote areas. The company used high-altitude balloons in the stratosphere at an altitude of 18 km (11 mi) to 25 km (16 mi) to create an aerial wireless network with up to 1 Mbit/s speeds.[1][2][3][4] A reference to the balloons used,[1] Project Loon began as a research and development project by X (formerly Google X) in 2011, but later spun out into a separate company in July 2018.[5] In January 2021, it was announced that the company would be shut down due to lack of profitability.[6][7][8][9]
Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Internet and telecommunication |
Founded | 2011; 13 years ago (2011) |
Defunct | 2021; 3 years ago (2021) |
Parent | Alphabet Inc. |
Website | loon |
The balloons were maneuvered by adjusting their altitude in the stratosphere to float to a wind layer with the desired speed and direction, using wind data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Users of the service connected to the balloon network using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal traveled through the balloon network from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an Internet service provider (ISP), then into the global Internet.
In January 2021, Alphabet announced that Loon would be shut down.[7]