Project Loon was launched in 2012
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has confirmed that it is shutting down Loon, a project aimed at providing wireless Internet connectivity to remote regions of the world using stratospheric balloons.
Google has killed a grandiose brainchild. Project Loon closed
Alastair Westgarth, CEO of Loon, said the decision to close the plant was made due to a lack of partners willing to support the initiative and an inability to build a sustainable business model.
Even though we found several partners along the way, we did not find a way to reduce costs at a low enough level to build a long-term and sustainable business. Developing radical new technologies is inherently risky, but it doesn’t make it easier for me to break the news.
Alastair Westgart
Last year, Google announced 35 balloons in Kenya to offer internet services to Telekom Kenya subscribers. The company recently began implementing a new navigation system that would allow better control of the balloons.
Project Loon previously received an experimental license for 30 Project Loon balloons from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fly over Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
Project Loon was launched in 2012.
