Loon to Expand its Offering in Africa to Mozambique

The Alphabet-owned company, Loon has signed a new deal with carrier Vodacom to expand its internet service to Mozambique. It is second commercial agreement that Loon has in Africa, and its close proximity to Kenya, where its first deal is in place, means that the company will be able to use balloons across both markets.

Loon provides its internet service by sending balloons to extremely high altitudes, equipped with radio equipment that effectively turns them into floating cellular broadband towers. This altitude means they can cover a much wider area than ground-based cell towers, and also reach remote areas.

This deal will provide access to Vodacom’s customers in Cabo Delgado and Niassa, which are two provinces in the country. Loon has also worked with its partners to secure the permissions necessary to fly its balloons over the target coverage areas.

Mozambique’s close proximity to Kenya means Loon will be able to figure out even more efficient ways to share balloons across both areas, so that when they float out of one country’s coverage area, they will float into one for the other.