Hello, your email is not verified. Please confirm access to all of your SPH accounts. SEND AGAIN
REVIEW EMAIL
[SAN FRANCISCO] Google Parent Alphabet has closed Loon, a bold project to deliver Internet services from high-altitude balloons after the unit failed to develop a viable business model.
« Though we did Having found a number of willing partners along the way, we haven’t found a way to keep costs low enough to build a long-term, sustainable business, « Loon Chief Executive Officer Alastair Westgarth wrote on Thursday in a blog post. « Developing radical new technologies is inherently risky, but that doesn’t make it any easier to get this news out. Today I’m sad to share that Loon is going to unwind. »
Loon was first introduced to the public in 2013 and debuted to cover the globe with internet connections. Huge balloons were used that float on currents high in the stratosphere. It was one of the most impressive ideas of Google’s « Moonshot Factory », the plan of co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin to turn entire industries upside down and reinvent their search and advertising company.
Loon flew his helium balloons for years around the planet and spent Google’s money. In 2018, Google’s research lab was converted into a separate Alphabet store as part of a strategy to see far-fetched entities fend for themselves.
Loon scaled back his initial ambitions – he relied on fewer balloons and only covered selected areas of the world and recruited several veterans from the satellite and cellular industries. It also worked with several telecommunications companies who were initially concerned about competition from the project.
Stay up to date with BT newsletters
register
By registering, you agree to our privacy policy and terms and conditions.
Your feedback is important to us
Tell us what you think. Email us at [email protected]
@media (min-width: 768px) {.sm-text-left {text-align: left; }}
In 2019, a division of SoftBank Corp. $ 125 million in loon. Their stated plan was to use Skycraft in place of balloons to provide connectivity in emerging markets and more remote areas where physical networks are scarce.
[DETROIT] After Ford Motor lost an appeal to federal security agencies this week he has to spend $ 610 million now …
[PARIS] Asia has emerged stronger from the Covid-19 pandemic and will become this year’s virtual world economy …
[TOKYO] The banking unit of the Japanese Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group announced on Friday that it will introduce maintenance work …
[NEW YORK] Chinese vaping company RLX Technology announced shares in its US initial public offering (IPO) on Thursday for …
Ref: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg
