Alphabet's Project Loon which delivers internet via balloons has helped Puerto Ricans get online after Hurricane Maria. While the team earlier tweeted that it would "explore if it was possible to help", Project Loon announced today that it has worked with AT&T and T-Mobile to deliver basic internet to over 100,000 Puerto Ricans.
Even though this is good news, its not the total success expected, after the Puerto Rican communication industry suffered so much damage. But the team was able to work with AT&T and T-Mobile " to get internet and communication activities like sending text messages and accessing information online", wrote the head of Project Loon, Alastair Westgarth in a blog.
The balloons were launched in Nevada and directed over tho Puerto Rico using machine learning. In the post, Alastair noted that project loon has never set up internet from scratch this fast and will improve upon keeping the balloons in place for steady connection whiles studying the air currents.
Alastair later on said, "In times of crisis, being able to communicate with loved ones, emergency services and critical information is key. We hope that the connectivity Project Loon has provided over the past few weeks has been helpful and would like to thank AT&T, T-Mobile and our government partners who made these efforts possible"
