Faster internet, anyone?
Google are currently in the process of trialling new millimetre wave technology that will be beamed from solar panelled drones, with hopes of generating speeds 40 times quicker than regular 4G.
It all began last summer, at the remote Spaceport America in New Mexico, under the guise of ‘Project Skybender’, as files obtained by The Guardian reveal.
Google proposes the use of drones to generate millimetre-wave radio transmissions, technology thought to be a fundamental in developing future 5G technology. These high frequency waves, in theory, can generate up to 40 times more than current 4G, which we shouldn’t forget only became public in the last few years. Should the project become reality, Google hopes there’ll be thousands of drones buzzing around making our online lives even quicker.
Skybender could finally level the playing field between the rest of the world and tech superpower South Korea, who currently hold the quickest internet speed on the planet at 20mb/s, 7.5mb/s higher than the UK, who sit in 12th, according to the Akamai ‘State of the Internet Report’.
This isn’t the first time companies have experimented with the same technology, but they are the first world-renowned company to be looking for a breakthrough, so it would be reasonable to assume the money and resources they have available will make a noticeable difference.
It’s unknown how much Skybender will cost when it goes commercial, assuming it even becomes available to the average Joe. Google are currently paying Virgin Galactic $1,000 a day for use of a hangar at Spaceport America, so you’d think they’d want to at least break even on the experiment.
The direct impact Skybender could have on current internet and LTE providers may be crippling, with stocks sure to take a hit, although this may only be temporary. Depending entirely on how Google intend to market Skybender, as a bonus to increase sales on current products, or as a technology rights owner, we could all be signing up for Skybender in the near(ish) future.
I’m sure there is plenty more going on behind the scenes of Google’s competitors, so it’s logical to assume the latest battle of the tech giants is only beginning to heat up. Regardless, if it means better internet for us all, they can only be commended for it.
So when is Skybender expected to arrive? Currently a date hasn’t been set by the tech powerhouse, but an estimated and rather broad guess of 3-10 years would seem reasonable. For the project to then become commercial would likely take another few years, so don’t get too excited just yet.
With this said, we’ve only just discovered Google are working on Skybender, another company may be lightyears ahead of them for all we know, we’ll just have to wait and see.
