This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
On July 8, 2020, Telkom Kenya and Google's Loon subsidiary launched a groundbreaking 4G internet balloon service in Kenya, aiming to bridge the digital divide in rural areas.
According to Telkom Kenya's CEO, Mugo Kibati, the internet-enabled balloons will offer connectivity to many Kenyans living in remote regions that are underserved or totally unserved, thereby reducing their disadvantage.
Tests conducted in late June 2020 achieved impressive download speeds of almost 19 Mbps and uplink transfers of 4.74 Mbps, with the connection successfully tested for email, web browsing, WhatsApp video calls, and YouTube.
The Loon balloons will initially cover a region of approximately 50,000 square kilometres, including areas such as Iten, Eldoret, Baringo, Nakuru, Kakamega, Kisumu, Kisii, Bomet, Kericho, and Narok.
Unlike traditional cell towers, the Loon balloons do not remain stationary and move according to the winds in any given area. The aim is to deploy the balloons in a network to maintain coverage despite weather and wind conditions.
The balloons float high above the stratosphere, between 18 to 23 kilometres above the earth's surface, well above commercial air traffic.
Minister of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, CS @mucheru, was among those who tested the Telkom Loon Service Deployment at Radad, Baringo County, alongside Telkom Kenya's CEO, Mugo Kibati, and the entire Telkom team.
When the balloons are taken out of service, the gas inside is released, and a parachute is deployed to bring them safely back to ground.
The balloons carry two radio transceivers: one transmits internet connectivity to a user's phone, acting as a cell phone tower, and the other connects the balloons together and to internet infrastructure on the ground, from which it picks up the connection to serve users.
As Loon sends more balloons up into the Kenyan skies and gains more flight experience, it is hoped that internet coverage and reliability will improve.
Customers will only have access to the internet via the balloons between the hours of 6am and 9pm, as the technology relies on solar power.
Loon's CEO, Alastair Westgarth, stated that this is the culmination of years of work and collaboration between Loon, Telkom, and the government.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made the deployment of the balloons even more crucial, given the increasing need for online education and other services delivered via the web.
Eleven Loon balloons were visible on flight tracking service FlightRadar24 on Wednesday morning, floating in locations across Kenya.
