# [Alphabet’s Loon starts beaming internet from balloons in Kenya](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/08/alphabets-loon-starts-beaming-internet-from-balloons-in-kenya.html)

* [Google's AI can keep Loon balloons flying for over 300 days in a row](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2261369-googles-ai-can-keep-loon-balloons-flying-for-over-300-days-in-a-row/)


* The news represents a significant milestone after years of publicity about the Alphabet-owned venture.
* Context of Loon
* They can transit internet signals from ground stations to smartphones and other personal devices – just like cell towers, but nearly 20 kilometres up in the air.
* Loon announced a new record-setting balloon earlier this year that lasted in the stratosphere for 312 days.
* Loon said its balloon-powered internet service will initially cover 50,000 square kilometers in western and central parts of Kenya.
* Issue
* The continent has the highest concentration of young people in the world, according to the UN, but just over a quarter of the population has internet access.
* Location of the coverage - eastern Africa
* It aims to take a fleet of 35 balloons to the skies above eastern Africa “in the coming weeks.”
* Partnership with Telkom Kenya
* The firm has partnered with local telecommunications operator Telkom Kenya to beam 4G internet from its solar-powered balloons
* Goals
* Loon calls the project a "floating network of cell towers," aimed at providing internet from high altitudes to vast swathes of the Earth where service is not available.
* Loon says it is building a "third layer" in the stratosphere.
* Usage and Realize：
* The internet service has already been used by Kenyans for voice calls, video calls and for using apps like YouTube and WhatsApp, Loon said.
* One internet speed test in the country demonstrated a download speed of 18.9Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speed of 4.74Mbps.

###### tags: `金沢大学`