Peru is likely to be the first country in Latin America in which the "Loon" Internet-via-balloon service will operate
Specifically, Loon and Internet para Todos Perú (IpT) have reached an agreement to use high-altitude balloons to expand mobile internet access to parts of the Peruvian Amazonia. The companies aim to provide service to Telefónica customers in Peru in 2020.
Loon, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, uses a network of high altitude balloons operating 20 km above sea level, well above air traffic, wildlife and weather events. Loon provides a full network as a service. The balloons act as floating cell towers, transmitting a provider’s service directly to a subscriber’s 4G/LTE device below.
IpT Perú is an open access wholesale rural mobile infrastructure operator owned by Telefónica, Facebook, IDB Invest and CAF which aims to help bridge the digital divide bringing mobile internet to remote populations where conventional telecom infrastructure deployment is not yet economically feasible. Launched last May, Internet para Todos Perú is a neutral-host Rural Mobile Infrastructure Operator in Peru focused on offering mobile internet connectivity in rural areas to any Mobile Network Operator (MNO) willing to use its services on a wholesale basis. With a strong focus on innovation to provide sustainable service, IpT will leverage Loon for hard-to-reach areas, complementing its terrestrial network and, initially, managing the service for Telefónica del Perú, first MNO to use the technology on a commercial basis in Latin America. More than 800,000 people living in around 5,300 rural communities in Peru have now access to mobile internet thanks to IpT. The aim is to connect over 30,000 communities by 2021 for the bicentennial of Peru.
Loon and Telefónica in Peru started collaborating in 2014 when early tests of Loon´s technology began. In 2017 when the El Niño floods devastated parts of Northern Peru, Loon worked with Telefónica to provide Internet connectivity to those in need in an area over 40,000 Km² in size. Earlier this year when a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck Peru, the two companies were able again to provide emergency connectivity. This agreement marks an important milestone in their collaboration and the result of the extensive work by the Loon, Telefónica del Perú and IpT teams over the last few years.
Peru joins Kenya as the second country where Loon has signed a contract to expand the service of Mobile Operators using stratospheric balloons. In Kenya, Loon is awaiting final written regulatory approval to begin flying and conducting the final stages of network integration with Telkom Kenya.
“Demand for network capacity has not shown any signs of abating,” said Jimmy Yu, Vice President at Dell’Oro Group. “In the third quarter of 2019, the amount of capacity shipped on WDM equipment grew above 30 percent year-over-year, driving the WDM market up 4 percent. Once again, disaggregated WDM systems shined the brightest, continuing to grow year-over-year for a sixteenth consecutive quarter. In 3Q 2019, it grew 28 percent, reaching an annualized revenue of $1.4 billion,” added Yu.
SCinet used Juniper’s PTX10003 Packet Transport Router to deliver traffic between Denver and Chicago. The 400GbE link was part of the 4.22 Terabits of connectivity SCinet provided to the conference. It was made available to researchers working on projects in disciplines, such as High Energy Physics, Radio Astronomy and Human Genome research. Over the coming years, many Research & Education networks will be upgrading their backbones to 400GbE, positioning them to meet the bandwidth demands of Big Science.
Under the deal, Telefonica Movistar maintains its transport network and all of its platforms, without operational or geographical restrictions to meet the needs of its users and services. Telefonica Movistar will maintain sole control over its operations, including its client portfolio, operations, assets, administration, pricing, rates, billing systems, among others. AT&T will have no visibility or influence on Telefonica Movistar’s operations.
The Neva smartphone, which will initially be available on existing networks (3G, 4G, 4G+) in select markets in 2019, starting with Poland. It will then be available on Orange’s commercial 5G networks across Europe as they go live, boasts 6.47 inch borderless screen with full HD+ definition; device-integrated AI which utilises artificial intelligence to manage files, photos and much more; facial recognition and in-display fingerprint; as well as a triple camera (48MP wide-angle, 20MP ultrawide-angle and 8MP telephoto lens). The smartphone will use Android Pie OS software.
The FCC will study the extent to which eligible telecommunications carriers have equipment from Huawei and ZTE in their networks and the costs associated with removing and replacing such equipment. 
The company’s services will continue to be marketed under the Orange brand during a transition period.
