Google’s Project Loon 4G Wi-Fi Service in India May Never Show Up
The search-engine giants ambition to provide internet in India via balloon may never fly off the ground.
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Google wants to give free internet to people in India via its much talked about Project Loon, but we’re not sure how that’s going to happen. Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google is visiting the country later this week and meeting with students at Sriram College of Commerce (SRCC). But there are bigger things on his agenda.
The Indian government has been trumping its voice for digital India with initiatives like Project Loon. But this is India, where pollution levels are high, corruption never goes out of fashion, and blame-game is everyone’s favourite pastime.
For Google’s project to work out, they need good fortune, along with the power to tackle the India’s idiosyncratic hurdles.
What is Project Loon?
- A slew of balloons flying high in the air to provide internet connectivity to remote areas or disaster-stricken places.
- Balloons float in the air much higher than the planes.
- With the help of telecom partners, these balloons can transmit 4G LTE connectivity to phones back on earth.
- It’s been used in New Zealand, the US and northeast Brazil till date.
- Google is looking to enter India with the goal to provide internet services to all.
Will Google’s Project Loon ever make its way in India? We’re not so sure and here’s why:
Free Wi-Fi, are You Kidding Me?
This takes me back to early 2015 when Tata Docomo started offering free Wi-Fi for the public in Delhi. This service, as enticing as it may sound, was limited to free usage of mere 15 minutes, for which one had to register with their details first. Coming across services like this made us immune to the possibility of getting free Wi-Fi anytime soon.
Credit must go to Google for trying to change the order, but in a country where telcos decide on how people consume connectivity services, free Wi-Fi can only be a dream.
Worried About the Country’s Security
If you take a closer look at how Project Loon works, questions are bound to come up from defence and security perspectives. While none of that showed up when Google tested the project in New Zealand, but hey, we care about our country’s security hence the thought of throwing Wi-Fi to all (including people with wrong intension) will never get the vote of approval.
If they’re so worried about our well-being, then how come our internal security is so pedestrian that we end up feeding the ones, who should be brutally crucified.
Planes Might Just Crash Into the Balloons
Imagine the sight of Google’s Project Loon falling into the trap of air traffic control and crashing into an Indigo or a Spicejet airbus. Yes, such incidents are playing havoc for the government, citing flying rules, something that has deterred drones from making their official debut in the public domain as well.
However, when you consider the balloons are floating higher than the planes, what are the chances of a crash-like situation turning into reality?
Internet Companies Like Airtel May Not Like This Idea
Google offers Wi-Fi internet to people across the world via Project Loon with help from the companies that are transmitting connectivity from the sky. In India, you have operators like Airtel and Tata Docomo, among others who will have to join hands with Google in order to get the Balloons up and running.
We’re not sure as to how these companies will react to the idea of them sharing their broadband coverage with other providers. This may end Google’s dream of providing internet to all.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)