Project Loon Hot Air Balloon Airs in the Sky of Indonesia in 2016

Even though reap pros and cons because it is considered to be doing bypass connectivity and risky considering the project is still in the development (research) stage, an agreement between Alphabet Inc. (Project Loon owner) with the Indonesian government and three main Indonesian operators has been carried out at the Google X office, Mountain View, Wednesday (28/10/2015). Included in the agreement are the Loon hot air balloon trials in Indonesian territory starting in 2016.

"This is a strategic decision. At least, telecommunications operators in Indonesia must be a part of this, at least knowing the technical aspects," said Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara, as reported Kompas at the location of the inauguration of the agreement between Indonesia and Alphabet.

In a comprehensive manner, the Loon Project in Indonesia will reach areas throughout Indonesia that previously had not had internet access and telecommunications infrastructure, for example in Eastern Indonesia.

Currently in Indonesia there are about 100 million people who are still not connected to the Internet. This is what is then tried to reduce by piloting Project Loon in Indonesia.

Project Loon on a large scale is the first to be carried out in Indonesia. Previously, Project Loon was carried out in Australia by collaborating with mobile operator Telstra by utilizing LTE frequencies to be distributed to users via Wi-Fi connectivity. Partnerships like this are expected to be realized with three major operators in Indonesia, namely XL Axiata, Telkomsel and Indosat.

Project Loon is a program initiated by Google (now under the umbrella of Alphabet Inc.) by bringing technology to spread Internet connections in remote areas that have not been reached by cable connections or cellular operator signals. Loon uses a solar-powered hot air balloon that will fly at an altitude of about 20 km above sea level and function like a tower transmitting a vast 4G/LTE network. This method is expected to overcome the challenges faced in the construction of network infrastructure in difficult terrain, such as forests and mountains.

With the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Alphabet, the Indonesian government, and the three main operators in Indonesia, the Indonesian government through the Communications and Information Technology hopes to bring internet to all corners of Indonesia. What will the commercial aspect of this cooperation look like in the future is still in the planning process of Kominfo.

Also attending the event were Google Founder and Alphabet Inc President Sergey Brin and Project Loon Vice President Mike Cassidy. The Indonesian government was represented by the Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara, the Minister of Trade Thomas Lembong, the Head of the Creative Economy Agency Triawan Munaf, and the Head of the Investment Coordinating Board Franky Sibarani, plus representatives of the three main operators in Indonesia, namely the President Director Telkomsel Ririek Adriansyah, CEO of XL Axiata Dian Siswarini, and CEO of Indosat Alexander Rusli.

Commitment of Indonesian cellular operators

The pilot Project Loon is planned to be implemented in 2016 and the commercialization implementation will take 2-3 years. XL itself in its press release will continue to evaluate the market potential of this Loon Project service provision. In the future, XL will continue further discussions with Google. to learn more about pilot projects, both technically and commercially. The technology offered is said to be more suitable to be applied outside Java, with many areas still not fully served by the Internet by all operators.

“Access to information is one of the keys to progress in today's digital era. Therefore, adequate Internet services are an urgent need for us to be able to accelerate development and the economy in remote areas. XL sees an opportunity to be able to overcome geographical barriers in Indonesia through Project Loon. For that we welcome cooperation for this trial," said XL CEO Dian Siswarini.

Indosat CEO Alexander Rusli added, “We are very pleased to support the Government's efforts to provide digital and internet connections through this collaboration. Indosat is always committed to providing digital connections to improve the quality of life for people in remote areas. We have also modernized our network to serve people who have limited access to the network."

"Telkomsel sees Project Loon as one of the latest technological innovations that can be useful for expanding the spread of the Internet in areas that are difficult to reach and have low population densities. This is expected to complete the network Telkomsel which is now spread to various regions in Indonesia, so that more Indonesian people can enjoy the service mobile broadband quality,” concluded the President Director Telkomsel Ririek Adriansyah.