Alphabet’s Loon Commercial Internet Service is Live in Kenya
Alphabet’s Loon announced that it has begun providing internet service in Kenya to Telkom Kenya subscribers via its high-altitude balloons. This is both the first deployment of balloon-powered internet in Africa and first-ever non-emergency use of Loon connecting over 35,000 unique users, and providing OTT voice/video calling, streaming, and web connectivity. This service is being delivered over 50,000 square kilometers across the country with a fleet of 35 flight vehicles deployed in the stratosphere above eastern Africa. Loon’s CEO expects terrestrial, stratospheric, and space-based technologies should work in tandem to seamlessly deliver internet service to various parts of the earth and different use-cases.
About author
DW Team
The GIP Digital Watch Observatory team, consisting of over 30 digital policy experts from around the world, excels in the fields of research and analysis on digital policy issues. The team is backed by the creative prowess of Creative Lab Diplo and the technical expertise of the Diplo tech team.