Sri Lanka’s Google Loon Project stalled
Sri Lanka’s ambitious Google Loon Project initiated almost two years ago with the aim of increasing the country’s Internet penetration has now become a non-starter following the refusal of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to allocate the required spectrum, Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Frenanado told a media conference in Colombo on Thursday.
Sri Lanka, a member country of the ITU, has to abide by the Geneva-based agency’s regulations for the allocation of 700MHz spectrum for high altitudes such as used in the Google Loon project as it may interfere with telcos, TV and other signals operating in relatively low altitudes, he said.
Sri Lanka’s Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), having sought clarification from the ITU, has already informed that the required spectrum cannot be allocated for the proposed pilot project testing of Google Loon, he revealed.
“Therefore, we have now referred it to the Attorney General to seek advice after obtaining the cabinet approval to allocate the frequency. That’s where it got stuck now,” he told a fully packed audience of media persons.
This project was mediated through Chamath Palihapitiya, the founder and Managing Partner of the Social +Capital Partnership –a venture capital fund based in Palo Alto, CA.
“Rama CO owned by Mr. Palihapitiya has acted as a facilitator of the Google Loon pilot project and the government has not spent a cent of the Sri Lankan taxpayer’s money for this project, we have not sold our spectrum to anyone,” he vowed.
Google is now looking at another country, probably a country that is not governed by ITU to conduct their pilot tests, he said.
Sri Lanka announced plans in February 2015 to take a 25 per cent stake of the project which use balloons to provide high-speed Internet connectivity, in exchange for the spectrum the government will allocate for the project.
On July 28, 2015, an MOU was signed between ICTA, Google Loon and two of its affiliates Lotus Flare Holdings Ltd and Rama Co for the purpose of formalising working relationships and facilitating pilot project implementation.
This project aimed at expanding Internet penetration in Sri Lanka to 50 per cent from 22 per cent over the next two years as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) a standard for high-speed wireless communication for mobile phones and data terminals will now have to be abandoned.