Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) partnered the space agency of France on Project Loon to advance its effort to provide internet access worldwide.
The Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) will support Project Loon by proving its technical expertise on balloons. The French space agency emphasized that it has been experimenting on balloons for a half-century, and its expertise on the field is widely-recognized internationally.
CNES said its partnership with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) on Project Loon (NASDAQ:GOOGL) will bring new momentum to research on the subject. The French space agency has 60 staff working with balloons.
Google will support CNES on long-term balloon projects
Under the partnership agreement, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) will combine their resources and research on balloons to be able to provide internet access to the “white areas” or 2/3 of the world still deprived of internet connection.
CNES will provide analysis on the existing balloon flights as well as the development of new generation balloons.
The search engine giant will provide support for CNES to carry out long-term balloon projects such as the “Stratéole” similar to its Concordiasi project, which was conducted in 2010.
”Barriers will fall”
Jean-Yves Le Gall, chairman of CNES said the project is more current as it studied all ways to remove the white areas. According to him, “It is through such collaborations that the barriers will fall” and would “lead to new-cross functional projects.”
On the other hand, Mike Cassidy, vice president and in-charge of Loon Project at Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) said, “The internet can improve the lives of everyone, but more than 4 billion people still do not have access today. There is no simple solution to solve a problem of such complexity. That is why we collaborate with experts around the world, such as the CNES to invest in new technologies like Project Loon to provide internet access to rural and remote areas”
It had been reported that Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOG) will be testing 20 balloons in Queensland as part of its Loon Project this month. The exact date is unknown. The search engine giant conducted a similar test in New Zealand last year.
