An Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Google internet balloon was last week seen flying over the Yellowstone National Park.
The Google internet balloon is part of Alphabet subsidiary, Google’s initiative known as Project Loon. The initiative is seeking out ways of expanding internet access using balloons. The project particularly aims to expand the internet to remote areas that have no internet access. The particular balloon seen over Yellowstone was first spotted by Jason Rabinowitz who happens to be an aviation researcher.
The Google Internet balloons are rarely spotted by people
Google has been testing the internet balloons in various areas in the US for the past two years. However, these balloons are not usually spotted by humans. This is partly because the balloons are usually too high to be spotted by the naked eye. The balloons travel more than 55,000 feet above the ground.
Why Yellowstone is a good testing ground for the company
The Google internet balloons were designed to take the internet to areas where there is no internet connectivity. Yellowstone has been known to have poor network connectivity and therefore it provides an opportunity for Google engineers to test the program. One of the reasons why places such as Yellowstone do not benefit from regular network connections is their remote nature. The company has also been testing the technology in other areas outside the US.
Service providers often don’t bother expanding their services to areas that will not be profitable. Google’s idea is that there are many people who live in such areas and granting them internet access will eventually boost ad revenue for the company. Google has invested more than $1 billion into the project. The company believes that it is cheaper than setting up infrastructure in remote areas since no wiring will be required. Google has tested the internet balloons in Australia and Indonesia among others.
Alphabet stocks closed the latest trading session at $804.06, up by $1.42 or 0.18% compared to the value of the stock during the close of the previous trading session.
