Google to launch blimps to carry wireless networks

Google has made it public knowledge for some time that it wants to connect the world to the internet. The challenge of facilitating this in remote areas has seen the search giant come up with some seemingly unorthodox methods, such as its TV white space project in South Africa. Now it's extending the use of existing technologies to provide wireless networks across Africa and Asia with blimps.

Source: www.wired.co.uk

That's right - blimps and, according to Wired, high-altitude balloons.

The goal of these portable wireless networks is to serve the remote regions in sub-Saharan African and Southeast Asia that don't have the wired access to the internet that city dwellers enjoy. However, these networks will also improve internet speeds in urban areas.

The plan will connect up to a billion people or more to the internet in the coming years. The catch is that the networks work in unison with Google's Android mobile OS, indicating that this is part of a bigger plan - to not just connect the unconnected to the internet, but also take Google's services and devices to a truly untapped market.

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