Google is testing internet balloons in Australia

Google is expanding its test with balloons that provide internet access to Australia. Twenty balloons are released there in collaboration with an Australian provider. Google wants to have a covering network in the southern hemisphere next year.

The twenty balloons will be released in December, The Guardian writes. Thirty balloons have previously been released in New Zealand. Google is partnering with local telecom provider Telstra for the trial in Australia, which will provide testers with the receivers they need to pick up signals from the balloons.

The balloons of the so-called Loon project are intended to provide people in remote areas with high-speed internet access. By next year, Google aims to have released enough balloons for coverage in the Southern Hemisphere.

The balloons offer a speed of 22 megabits per second on the fixed receivers and 5 megabits per second on mobile phones. In particular, the 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz frequency bands of the ISM band are used for this purpose. The balloons are powered by solar panels that supply 100W of power, and are able to stay in the air for 100 days. The balloons are in the stratosphere and can change position by riding on wind currents.