gl-3194-300xProject Loon will get off the ground in November, according to the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka, with the arrival of high-altitude balloons from Google. Commercial operations are set to begin in about 12 months, following the successful completion of all tests.

Once in operation, Project Loon will ensure that telecommunication companies are able to expand their Long Term Evolution (LTE) coverage islandwide.

An ambitious project between Google and ICTA, Project Loon was launched last year to provide Internet access to rural and remote areas, by placing balloons in the stratosphere to create an aerial wireless network with up to 4G-LTE speeds. However, the project ran into controversy with some of the tests that were conducted.