Google’s parent company received approval to deploy an experimental balloon-based web service to restore cell reception to Puerto Ricans still struggling after a hurricane devastated the island and left many without water or a way to reach loved ones.
The Federal Communications Commission said it granted an “experimental license” for Alphabet Inc.’s Project Loon, which uses balloons to help provide internet service to people in hard-to-reach places.
The balloons float in the stratosphere, and each carries solar-powered technology that functions like a cell tower, so signals can be transmitted from phones and other LTE-enabled devices even if cell towers are not available on a swath of land.
Alphabet did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how quickly it could deploy its technoloAccording to the Project Loon website, the company has flown almost 12 million miles in test flights.
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