UPSC Prelims 2016 · Question 60 of 98

UPSC Prelims 2016 question on Project Loon

‘Project Loon’, sometimes seen in the news, is related to

  1. waste management technology
  2. wireless communication technology
  3. solar power production technology
  4. water conservation technology
Show answer

Answer: B. wireless communication technology

Verdict

The answer is wireless communication technology. Project Loon delivers internet access using high altitude balloons.

Analysis

Project Loon was a Google research and development project aimed at providing internet access to rural and remote areas using balloons placed in the stratosphere at an altitude of about eighteen kilometres, creating an aerial wireless network capable of speeds comparable to 4G LTE. By partnering with telecommunications companies to share spectrum, the project sought to let people connect directly from ordinary handsets. It has nothing to do with waste, solar power or water.

Source

The Hindu opinion piece on Project Loon.

How to crack it

Balloon is the clue and altitude is the reason, since the only purpose served by placing equipment in the stratosphere over a remote area is coverage, whether for communication or for observation. Neither waste management nor water conservation is an aerial problem. Keep the connectivity projects of this period grouped, since Loon used balloons and other efforts used drones and satellites, all aimed at the same problem of reaching unserved populations.

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