Google is bringing its Project Loon programme to Australia with 20 balloons that are expected to take flight over Queensland in December.
Project Loon is designed to bring internet to remote areas of the world where Internet access is not there, an initiative similar to Facebook’s Internet.org programme.
Google has teamed up with Australian telecoms company Telstra to bring Internet to remote areas of Australia.
The balloons will be equipped with antennas that are capable of transmitting 4G-like signals to homes and phones 20km below.
In Australia, Telstra will be supplying its base stations to communicate with the balloons and access it’s to space on the radio spectrum.
Google aims to team up with telecom providers across the globe to provide internet to two-thirds of the world’s population who are deprived of Internet access.
The present step follows Google’s previous attempt of launching the balloons above Christchurch in New Zealand.
Project Loon project has been developed by scientists at Google X, the lab where the company is making the driverless cars.
