Loon, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google's parent company, recently announced a collaboration with AT&T to offer a global connectivity solution in times of disaster anywhere in the world.
Loon offers a network of balloons traveling on the edge of space to enhance communications connectivity.
Under the partnership, the companies have successfully integrated the Loon system with AT&T’s network. The network integration will extend to AT&T’s partners around the world, meaning Loon will be able to provide service to a third-party mobile operator, assuming they have a standard international roaming relationship with AT&T. While coordination with a local operator will be crucial, Loon’s ability to leverage the AT&T network vastly expands the number of operators around the world that Loon can work with without having to complete time-intensive network integration for each one. In a disaster scenario, this will save valuable time and enable Loon to simultaneously serve several, if not all, the mobile operators in a market.
In just the last few months, Loon has secured approvals to fly over additional countries, including Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Malawi, and Lesotho. This brings to over 50 the total number of countries and regions it has approval to fly over.
JR Wilson, VP of Tower Strategy and Roaming, AT&T
So in situations when disaster strikes — and our customers need connection more than ever — rapidly restoring communications is critical. We’re pleased to work with Loon to make this an ongoing reality for customers around the world.
