Page 74 - SAMENA Trends - August 2019

ARTICLE SAMENA TRENDS

ARTICLE

Loon: Overcoming the Infrastructure Challenge in

Broadband Connectivity

While it seems that the world is more
connected than ever before, there are
3.8 billion people who lack access to the
Internet. In fact, less than 50 percent of the
world’s landmass is covered by terrestrial
Internet infrastructure. On top of that

staggering number of disconnected people,
there are many more who lack reliable
Internet access. When Bocar Ba asked Loon
to contribute a piece to SAMENA Trends to
talk about Loon and our role in connecting
the unconnected, we immediately accepted
his gracious invitation. We are honored to

share Loon’s story with our colleagues in
the SAMENA community.

What is Loon?
Loon is an Alphabet company based in Mountain View, California
in the United States. We are working tirelessly to bridge the digital
divide through the use of balloons traveling on the edge of space.
At this point, SAMENA Trends readers probably have read this
Julie Kearney sentence a few times. Balloons? On the edge of space? To solve
the enormous global challenge that billions of people around the
Head of Regulatory Affairs world lack access to the Internet?
Loon
That’s right! Loon is developing and deploying technology to
bring the benefits of the Internet to everyone. Loon balloons
travel in the stratosphere, acting as floating cell towers, to deliver
connectivity to people in unserved and underserved areas around
the world. And these balloons aren’t your everyday party balloons.
Loon’s balloons are made from sheets of custom-developed
polyethylene. Each tennis court-sized balloon is built to last more
than 150 days in the stratosphere before landing back on Earth in
a controlled descent. In fact, a Loon balloon just passed the 223
day milestone, breaking our previous record of 198 days. Loon

74 AUGUST 2019