Alphabet (Google) abandons the project to offer broadband from hot air balloons

Loon, a project developed for nine years, has not finally found a sustainable business model.

The parent company of Google, Alphabet, has announced that it is abandoning the project of offering broadband in remote places from hot air balloons. Loon, a project developed for nine years, has not finally found a sustainable business model or partners with which to develop this adventure.

The demise of Loon, which came into the spotlight after the project helped restore mobile phone services disrupted by a hurricane in Puerto Rico, comes a year after the Android maker ended Google Station, its other major connectivity effort to bring the Internet to the next billion users.

Through Station, Google provided internet connectivity at over 400 railway stations in India and sought to replicate the model at other public places in more countries.

The growing interest of SpaceX and Amazon in space has influenced Alphabet's decision to abandon this project that sought to extend Internet connectivity in remote areas.

“Las comunidades que se encuentran en zonas demasiado difíciles o remotas para llegar a ellas, o las zonas en las que la prestación del servicio con las tecnologías existentes es simplemente demasiado cara para la gente corriente. Aunque hemos encontrado una serie de socios dispuestos en el camino, no hemos encontrado una manera de conseguir que los costes sean lo suficientemente bajos como para construir un negocio sostenible a largo plazo. Desarrollar una tecnología nueva y radical es intrínsecamente arriesgado, pero eso no hace más fácil dar esta noticia”, reconocía el pasado jueves Alastair Westgarth, director ejecutivo de Loon, en su blog.

"The Loon team is proud to have catalyzed an ecosystem of organizations working to provide connectivity from the stratosphere. The world needs a layered approach to connectivity - terrestrial, stratospheric and space - because each layer is suitable for different parts of the problem. In this area, Loon has made a number of important technical contributions," said Westgarth.