28 Mar 2024
Wednesday 1 March 2017 - 10:10
Story Code : 253096

'Internet balloons' to bring internet access to all corners of Iran

Sputnik- Iranian authorities have devised a way to provide Internet access to hard-to-reach areas of the country with the help of high-altitude balloons.


Iranian Space Research Center Head Hassan Haddadpour declared that his organization has finished developing a high-altitude balloon capable ofcarrying the communication equipment necessary forproviding Internet access inremote areas ofthe country and incase ofemergency situations.


According to Mehr news agency, the Internet balloons come intwo varieties: low-altitude tethered balloons and high-altitude untethered balloons.

As Haddadpour explained, the tethered balloons will be deployed incase ofan emergency, incrowded areas or inother situations where it is impossible toestablish a ground-based communications center.

Such balloons can be rapidly launched inthe air and retrieved just asquickly, providing Iranian authorities withthe means toswiftly establish Internet communications wherever they require ata moments notice.

Haddadpour also added that the tethered balloons are deployed atan altitude ofabout 200-300 meters while their high-altitude counterparts soar inthe stratosphere.
"These balloons can provide Internet access toan area ofabout 20 to30 kilometers indiameter," he said.


The new balloons have already been tested duringArbaeen a Shia Muslim religious observance commemorates the martyrdom ofHusayn ibn Ali, the grandson ofMuhammad.

It should be noted that a similar program aimed atproviding Internet access torural and remote areas aroundthe world, Project Loon, was launched byGoogle several years ago. The technology was first tested duringtrial runs inCalifornia's Central Valley, and was officially announced asa Google project in2013, followed bya pilot experiment inNew Zealand.
https://theiranproject.com/vdceox8wpjh8n7i.1kbj.html
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