The project, called SkyBender, involves several prototype
transceivers and multiple drones, which are housed at Virgin Galactic's
Gateway to Space terminal in New Mexico's Spaceport America. Information
about the secret project, which is part of the Google Access team that
includes Project Loon, was gleaned from documents that were obtained in accordance with public record laws.
SkyBender works with millimeter wave radio transmissions, which, "can
theoretically transmit gigabits of data every second, up to 40 times
more than today’s 4G LTE systems," The Guardian wrote.
Jacques Rudell, University of Washington in Seattle professor of electrical engineering, tells The Guardian
the advantage to this technology is that the "existing cellphone
spectrum is overcrowded." However, millimeter wave transmissions have a
shorter range than that of a mobile phone signal, which is something the
experiments are likely striving to improve.
SkyBender is working with, "an “optionally piloted” aircraft called
Centaur as well as solar-powered drones made by Google Titan, a division
formed when Google acquired New Mexico startup Titan Aerospace in
2014." The FCC has granted Google permission to continue tests until
July 2016.
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