Regulators in the US have granted Alphabet permission to use its Project Loon balloons to deliver internet access to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, which have been severely affected by natural disasters. Project Loon’s high-altitude balloons will deliver LTE service.
The Google X Lab received an “emergency license” from the FCC.
83% of Puerto Rico’s cell sites are still down weeks after the region was affected by Hurricane Maria.
To deliver service, a partnership with a local telecommunications provider is required. Alphabet says it’s “making solid progress on this next step.”
