Google to invest in SpaceX, the satellite and rocket company

Posted on 20/01/2015 by Federico Lo Giudice

Recent reports by a series of websites around the web suggest Google might be getting ready for a big investment in SpaceX, a company dedicated to create rockets and satellites.

As reported by The Information, Google might be getting ready to drop a huge sum of cash in SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company who creates and develops satellites and rockets, and use these resources to create a satellite network capable of providing internet to non-urban and hard to access areas where finding a decent provider at a price that is not a rip-off is a huge task.

These Google satellites would orbit Earth at lower altitudes than regular satellites (1.200 km instead of the usual 35.000), which would generate an advantage when it comes to coverage and speed compared to other competing technologies like optic fiber. Elon Musk hismelf was quoted saying that the speed of light was “40% faster in the vacuum of space than it is through fiber”.

Rumor has it that Google’s investment will be around the 10 thousand millions of dollars, and combining that with the effort Google’s partners are expected to put forth, it’s just a massive, incredible sum of money.

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Google’s Project Loon for Internet everywhere will begin in Australia

Posted on 18/11/2014 by Federico Lo Giudice

Google’s most ambitious idea yet, Project Loon, will begin in December this year with Australia as the first country partaking.

Project Loon is Google’s greatest endeavor yet, as it aims to bring Internet to the entire world via a series of relays located in high-altitude balloons. The Santa Clara company has announced that they are getting ready to conduct a series of test flights in Australia, with more than 20 balloons spread around western Queensland. Google couldn’t do this on their own, so they have partnered with a local wireless carrier, Telstra, who will be in charge of beaming the Internet to the ground below. Note, Telstra are not newbies when it comes to Internet telecommunications, and are already Australia’s largest carrier.

The plan comes from Google’s experimentation and research department, Google X, and has already been running trials in other countries, such as New Zealand and the US. Project Loon sounds fantastic on paper, but Google still has to get around some details, mainly the wind and ever-changing weather conditions which could potentially interfere with the optimal altitude, or worse, crash the balloons as it already happened in New Zealand once.

Via The Verge

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Google wants you to be online: Project Loon brings internet everywhere

Posted on 17/06/2014 by Federico Lo Giudice

If we say that Google is experimenting with balloons, readers would think of it as a ludic activity, but it turns out it’s one of Google’s most altruistic endeavors yet.

So, what is Google’s Project Loon, and why does it matter? Well, it’s just basically Google trying to get internet everywhere in the globe. Literally everywhere.

There is a city in Brazil called Campo Maior, which has restricted Internet access because of its remote location and lack of infrastructure. We’re talking “try to climb up on a tree to see if your cellphone works” issues. Yet, a few days ago, Campo Maior’s was one of the first beneficiaries of Google’s Project Loon, that is, they had internet beamed directly to them from a balloon relay. No cables, no optic fibers, just a high-elevation Wi-Fi balloons.

The California company had set their goals high: to bring Internet to every corner of the Earth, and now after a full year of work, we begin to see the first results of such an endeavor. As the Google team explained in the Project Loon Google+ page, there are lots of factors to take into account, and different weather conditions all across the Earth, but if those kinks got ironed, they’d be able to “provide Internet signal directly to mobile phones, opening up more options for bringing Internet access to more places.”

One of their first balloons, the Ibis-167, went around the world in just 22 days, and there are already more on the way which are supposed to stand on air for over 100 days at a time. This would extend to provide up to 4G services for phone devices, too, which we’re sure many countries would benefit from.

Head of Google X Astro Teller has voices his hope that the company would soon be able to move beyond their test phase, and bring Internet to the masses. We, for one, can’t wait.

Source: CNET

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What Google Fiber’s 10Gbps Speed Increase Could Mean for the Internet

Posted on 02/05/2014 by Guest Post

Google Fiber currently offers an Internet speed of 1gbps, which is the fastest Internet speed available in the US. Right now, that Internet is only offered in three cities. But Google recently announced an even bigger plan than 1gbps speeds. Google Fiber is currently working on a 10gbps connection. Google’s CFO is optimistic about the timeline for this faster Internet speed, saying that the goal is to have the 10gbps connection available in three years. Though it’s hypothetical right now, a connection this fast backed by powerhouse Google would have many ramifications for the Internet and for Internet service providers.

Higher Speeds Mean Better Applications and Software

The average Internet speed in the US is 9.8 megabits per second. With Google’s proposed 10gbps speed, running Internet software and apps that require a lot of data will be possible. At that speed, you could download an HD movie under one second. Internet apps, software, and cloud storage will be able to adapt their designs to consume more data, translating into faster and more complex performances. This may seem like a speed needed only by big businesses with big data to manage, but that soon might not be the case. With the introduction of 4k streaming on Netflix and other sites, current bandwidths might be stretched too thin to do the high quality justice. Google 10gbps can handle 4k just fine.

Hardware Changes

The speed of an Internet connection isn’t the only thing that affects how fast you can download information. It also depends on servers and the computers themselves. If Google manages to roll out their faster speeds in three years like they’ve said they plan to do, and if they offer those speeds widely, the devices we use to log onto the Internet might see some upgrades as well. Cell phone providers like T-Mobile offer unlimited data plans, which is especially great when you can connect to a wi-fi network with your phone, but phones themselves can’t currently survive at speeds that fast. Japan was able to transmit 10gbps from a mobile device in 2012, but the device itself wasn’t a smart phone. It was a van full of antennae and battery power.

Breaking up Monopolies

The recent merger of Comcast and Time Warner caused quite a stir in the ongoing discussion about cable companies and their power as ISPs. BY creating an entity almost twice as large as it was previously, Comcast has an extreme amount of power when it comes to negotiating deals with tv networks, Internet companies, and the like. Though there are multiple ISPs, the United States is essentially divided into areas with only one or two service provider options. If Google expanded as an alternative ISP with better data speeds than anyone else, the de facto monopolies ISPs have would change drastically.

The Possible Impact on Net Neutrality

As cable providers grow more powerful, their resistance towards net neutrality will only grow. Large Internet service providers charging Netflix and others more for fast streaming is a cost that’s likely going to end up on the shoulders of the consumer. Since the large companies are against net neutrality, a distinct possibility exists that their sheer size will allow them to muscle their way into achieving the results they want. Google as a company is in favor of net neutrality.

If Google becomes a major player as an ISP, their stance on net neutrality becomes a very important one. Since they won’t put restrictions on how and what they stream, Internet quality for Google 10gbps users won’t suffer, the way it might if an ISPs network gets bogged down or has certain sites or content providers restricted.

Though it’s hard to imagine needing 10gbps Internet right now, a faster connection in the average home isn’t the only effect Google will have when they develop this technology. It could impact the cable company monopoly, net neutrality, and the devices we use every day. While the average American home might not have access to Google Fiber in three years, considering their 1gbps is only available in three cities, the specter of Google Internet is on the horizon and promising changes.