谷歌如何把气球上网项目发展成一门上百亿的生意？

    谷歌公司的Loon项目计划利用气球，让世界上缺乏网络设施的地区也能享受到互联网服务。据科技博客The Verge的一篇报道称，这个项目可能为谷歌带来上百亿美元收益。

    在谷歌副总裁兼该项目主管麦克•卡西迪看来：全球目前共有45亿人无法上网，只要气球能让其中5%的人上网——谷歌向每个用户每月收取5美元——就意味着上百亿美元的收入。

    当然，这个算盘并没有考虑这套基于气球的互联网系统的运营成本，势必将十分高昂。由于多数未联网地区都处于发展中国家，每月5美元也是一笔很大的支出。

    Loon项目约四年前以实验形式启动。目前谷歌正在新西兰测试这种可以上网的气球，最终目标是将该项目推向全球。（财富中文网）

    译者：清远

    Project Loon, Google’s project to use balloons to bring Internet access to underserved parts of the world, could bring in billions of dollars, according to a report in The Verge.

    Google VP and Project Loon lead Mike Cassidy sees it like this: if the balloons bring Internet access to just 5% of the 4.5 billion people currently without it— and Google gets $5 a month from each user—that would mean tens of billions in revenue for the company.

    Of course, Cassidy’s figure doesn’t factor in the costs of running the ballon-based Internet system, which could be high. And since most of the underserved parts of the world are in developing areas, $5 a month is a lot to charge.

    Project Loon began as an experimental project for the company about four years ago. Google is currently testing the Internet-beaming balloons in New Zealand, with ambitions to expand the project to other parts of the world.