Project Loon by Alphabet has dispatched a larger fleet of balloons to Kenya from its launch site in Puerto Rico.
According to Telkom Kenya, these balloons will join the eight balloons that are already active and part of a network integration exercise in the country’s airspace.
The Loon service will seek to use its 4G/LTE Internet solution to connect unserved and under-served communities in Kenya. Initial coverage areas have already been identified, starting with Nairobi, Machakos, Nyeri, Nakuru, Kitui, Nanyuki, Narok, and Kisii.
Telkom Kenya’s Chief Executive Officer Mugo KIBATI, in a statement, said, “Once the balloons are in place, this new technology will complement Telkom’s ongoing strategy to further widen its network coverage, confirming the telco as Kenya’s preferred data network.”
Loon’s CEO Alastair Westgarth in a statement said that the company is excited to be sending additional balloons to Kenya for further testing with Telkom.
“We look forward to beginning to provide service in the near future. We’re very grateful for the support of the government and all Kenyans as we work to bring balloon-powered Internet to Kenya as quickly as possible,” he added.
