SAN JUAN � In response to the damage caused by Hurricane Maria across Puerto Rico, which knocked out 90% of its cell towers on the island, AT&T has partnered with the Alphabet X unit, Apple and the Federal Communications Commission to bring balloon-powered internet access to residents on the island.�
Alphabet�s X unit announced Oct. 27 that Project Loon is now delivering internet connectivity to �tens of thousands of people in Puerto Rico,� according to ibtimes.com.
The Project Loon experiment consists of a network of large balloons that provides connectivity to residents on the ground. The balloons, up around 12 miles, facilitate coverage over much greater distances than cell towers, of course. The Project Loon and AT&T partnership has allowed residents with LTE smartphones to carry out basic communication and internet activities, like sending texts and accessing information online, according to the same article.
As of Oct. 27, T-Mobile began doing the same with the Alphabet X unit, the carrier announced.
Here�s a short video on how Project Loon works.�
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