Google Loon is a project coming from Google’s own “skunkworks” Google X, an internal division of the company designed to freely explore so-called moon-shot ideas, essentially a R&D division freed of the corporate agenda and financed by Adwords money. Google Loon is ingenious, project that would cover the stratosphere of a region with weather balloons fitted with navigation technology that allows them to roam over specific areas and provide for an aerial Wide Area Network of 40km radius with derivative radio version of WiMax that can be picked up by specialized equipment. Then make sure that the ballon fleet uses a mesh network to communicate with each other and with ground stations that will route the signal from the Internet. In a way Google Loon remembers another telecom technical feat that proved to be obsolete and have a poor business model by the time it was complete, the Motorola backed low-earth orbit constellation of satellites Iridium, and it is similarly doomed.
In fact the real transformative process behind Internet and mobile phones in Africa is being done by... China. And, the same way that most African countries simply skipped cabled phone infrastructure, they are also going directly into mobile Internet, mostly provided at the expenses of credit lines offered by Bank of China to telecom operators across the region in order not only to get the support of these governments for other businesses deals but also to support its home grown kit makers Huawei and ZTE.
It’s companies like Huawei and ZTE that are truly changing the Internet landscape of the African and Asian continents mostly because they were the first to provide infra-structure, at prices that can be afforded by local telcos and consumers. Unlike European kit makers that initially designed they hardware to sustain the relatively cold or temperate weather of northern european countries, Chinese makers had no choice but to develop base station radio technology that could endure extreme humidity, and high temperatures essentially the harsh weather conditions of countries between the tropics which constituted the base for Chinese companies international expansion.
The shift from fixe access to mobile in the developing countries is already visible in Internet kiosks where attendance has dropped significantly (http://qz.com/148734/internet-cafes-in-the-developing-world-find-out-what-happens-when-everyone-gets-a-smartphone/#!) as more people delve into their feature or smartphones to check on Facebook, or the latest videos or search on Google. As lots of developing countries now have 3G and even 4G infra-structures, mobile Internet is becoming widely available, think of Cape Verde, an archipelago country 500Km west of Senegal with only half of million people scattered by 10 islands and 2 mobile private operators, each one featuring a 3G network. In a word, even a country with all the logistic challenges to deliver mobile data network like Cape Verde, it is possible do so in free market conditions.
Another point Google Loon is apparently missing is a business model that includes local players. Needless to say that a critical element of success is that mobile telcos in most developing nations represent a huge economic opportunity for local governments and a list of private entrepreneurs. Also, part of the huge success of mobiles in poor countries are micro-entrepreneurs like Cátia that being at the end of this economic chain, but are still able to play its part on this industry. Cátia sells a wealth of mobile services, including 3G pens, SIM cards, phones like the 10 USD one depicted on the picture and topping up services on the streets of Praia, Cape Verde, receiving a small transaction fee from the local operators, in essence does Google really want to face an entire eco-system of traders on top of the mobile industry. If Google Loon plans to offer Internet for free then it’s missing the point, the same way that telco operators don’t get it by charging roaming fees that make satellite phone calls seem a bargain.
Google’s mission is a noble one: to bring the remainder of humanity to the Internet and unarguably, the future of Africa is also on the Internet, but as much of PR stunt that Google Loon has been it will play a little part on enabling it, except for (maybe) providing Internet in stress relief situations when mobile infrastructure is damaged but even then setup times would make it difficult, and constellation of worldwide balloons circling our heads is not a moonshot, it’s simply unnecessary. Don’t take me wrong, but I actually think that Google has done much regarding this aspect for billions of people that are now on Internet thanks to Android operating system, which has enabled phone manufacturers (including Huawei and ZTE) to bring cheaper smartphones to the masses. So, next time you travel to Africa just buy a local data plan SIM card and insert it on your Android smartphone and you should be ready to go!
André Marquet is currently in Cape Verde facilitating Startup Weekend in Praia, and Mindelo, and has worked for Huawei and organized events in partnership with Google among other companies.
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