Google Loon starts in New Zealand

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freitasm

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#120842 15-Jun-2013 16:23

The Google Loon project has started with the 50 first New Zealanders connecting to the Internet via balloons. And it's not April 1st...

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#837336 15-Jun-2013 16:56

That's awesome!!!!
I almost wish I lived there!

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#837342 15-Jun-2013 17:10

That's actually pretty neat, hopefully they can make it reliable as otherwise it's just another crazy google project, all be it a very cool one.

Where do we sign up for the trial?

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#837344 15-Jun-2013 17:11

so google classify christchurch as rural? i suppose it is becoming somewhat of a ghost town.

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#837346 15-Jun-2013 17:21

You can sign up here: http://www.google.com/loon/where/

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#837370 15-Jun-2013 19:15

mercutio: so google classify christchurch as rural? i suppose it is becoming somewhat of a ghost town.

1. It's Christchurch AND Canterbury.
2. 80% of New Zealand would probably be considered rural to the rest of the world.
3. They probably want to test how it'd work in city area's anyway, as the project has more about it than just getting rural telecommunications access.

mercutio

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#837372 15-Jun-2013 19:17

Lazarui:
mercutio: so google classify christchurch as rural? i suppose it is becoming somewhat of a ghost town.

1. It's Christchurch AND Canterbury.
2. 80% of New Zealand would probably be considered rural to the rest of the world.
3. They probably want to test how it'd work in city area's anyway, as the project has more about it than just getting rural telecommunications access.

it was meant somewhat tongue-and-cheek. US has a lot of smaller cities too.

i am curious about it. it reminds me of the low-orbit satelitte idea for internet.

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#837375 15-Jun-2013 19:24

mercutio:
Lazarui:
mercutio: so google classify christchurch as rural? i suppose it is becoming somewhat of a ghost town.

1. It's Christchurch AND Canterbury.
2. 80% of New Zealand would probably be considered rural to the rest of the world.
3. They probably want to test how it'd work in city area's anyway, as the project has more about it than just getting rural telecommunications access.

it was meant somewhat tongue-and-cheek. US has a lot of smaller cities too.

i am curious about it. it reminds me of the low-orbit satelitte idea for internet.

Curse you text on screen for not telling me when people are sarcastic.

mercutio

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#837378 15-Jun-2013 19:43

mercutio:
Lazarui:
mercutio: so google classify christchurch as rural? i suppose it is becoming somewhat of a ghost town.

1. It's Christchurch AND Canterbury.
2. 80% of New Zealand would probably be considered rural to the rest of the world.
3. They probably want to test how it'd work in city area's anyway, as the project has more about it than just getting rural telecommunications access.

it was meant somewhat tongue-and-cheek. US has a lot of smaller cities too.

i am curious about it. it reminds me of the low-orbit satelitte idea for internet.

when you read up about it it says they were doing it in places just outside christchurch... where coverage of internet isn't that great, but from what i can tell it'll cover christchurch as well, and it may be related to the whole earthquake thing encouraging christchurch as a trial city.

can't see anything about speeds, just that for one person it only worked for 15 minutes while it was in range.

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#837384 15-Jun-2013 20:25

So is this Teledesic by another name (and in a lower orbit?)

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#837416 15-Jun-2013 22:07

Wow this is awesome. Does anybody know how to contact Google? I am in the right place for once.

freitasm

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#837425 15-Jun-2013 22:10

Read the thread - there's a link to register interest in one of the replies.

Also, Sunday 16th June 2013, 10am-2pm, Air Force Museum, 45 Harvard Ave, Wigram, Wigram Park 8140, New Zealand to meet the team.

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#837426 15-Jun-2013 22:11

They have been releasing the balloons from Tekapo all week. It has been cool seeing them floating off across the sky with a helicopter hovering close by although I think one of the early ones came down a bit early.

We first thought they were weather balloons but when we saw a gentleman wearing Google Glasses in our shop we knew something was up. :-; interesting to see how it goes, the Internet not the glasses, lol.

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#837428 15-Jun-2013 22:14

freitasm: Read the thread - there's a link to register interest in one of the replies.

Also, Sunday 16th June 2013, 10am-2pm, Air Force Museum, 45 Harvard Ave, Wigram, Wigram Park 8140, New Zealand to meet the team.

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#837436 15-Jun-2013 23:00

I just can't believe that they chose NZ!!! It is an idea that I am surprised that no one tried until now - just the issue will be implementing algorithms so that they can be controlled automatically. It sounds like it is painful for the chch control room to control them.

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#837438 15-Jun-2013 23:05

I wonder what the greens will have to say about this.

Interesting fact- they are using the 2ghz band. Probably 2.4ghz but i know the radios are capable of running in 2.5ghz but not sure if they have a license for 2.5.

2.4ghz is really overcrowded so i am pretty keen to see what the results are.

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