Google will be connecting Africa, Asia and other developing countries, to wireless networks with the aim of connecting approximately 1 billion people.
The search giant will finance, build and help to operate high altitude platforms using balloons and blimps – rather than traditional infrastructure – to carry a signal that can transmit to areas of hundreds of square kilometres, well-suited to provide internet to developing communities.
Google is also lobbying regulators to allow for the use of airwaves reserved for television broadcasting that operate at low frequencies known as ‘white space’ that can pass more easily over longer distances.
A trial to test the feasibility of this technology had already begun in partnership with the Tertiary Education and Research Network of SA (Tenet) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in March according to Business Insider.
In Cape Town, just one of the chosen trial locations, Google is using a base station with wireless access boxes to broadcast signals over long distances.
In conjuction with the development of the high altitude platforms, Google is also developing low-cost smartphones running Android on low-power microprocessors.
Source: Wired
