Google has come up with a unique idea to put helium balloons in the air and it is not just for kids. It will communicate with material on rooftops to provide Internet for vast areas, where the Net is not available.

The idea is being tested in New Zealand, where 30 balloons have been sent into the air. They will stay above 20 kilometres so that they are positioned higher than the air space used by commercial planes. These balloons are 15 metres wide and may be used as Internet stations for 100 days.

When testing of the balloon Internet is completed, the product is targeted to be used in rural India, which is ill-equipped with infrastructure like fibre optics and cable wiring required for the Internet connections we use today. When finetuned to its capacity, this Internet tool is capable of providing speeds up to 1GB, which is adequate for downloading movies and video in high speed.

India has a tremendous market for the revolution taking place in the telecom industry. It has a high number of cell phone, smart phone and PC users who spend a lot of time on the Net. By tapping remote village areas, Google can no doubt bring more people into experiencing the Net and take advantage of its potential for establishing small business enterprise.

Google's Managing Director for Global Sales Channels, Todd Rowe told The Economic Times, "Though we are still in the pilot phase, we have received several queries on the project and India has also shown great interest in the project."
The digital divide, separating those who are connected with the Internet with those who are not, has been a differentiating factor between the poor and the rich in India.

Google, which relies on business prospects linked to the Internet, is slated to respond to India's growing demand, if all goes well the pilot project in New Zealand. With reports by The Economic Times.