With Facebook shafted, India now belongs to Google

With Facebook’s Free Basics out of the way, Google has a free hand at capturing personal data from Indians who aren’t on the internet. Google is reportedly in talks with two Indian telecom operators to provide backhaul for its Google Loon pilot in India. The all-seeing solar powered balloons float around 20km above the Earth' …

[Fraggle850]

Come on India...

...surely there's enough tech talent and funding sources to come up with a home grown solution?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Come on India...

Tech talent, sure! Funding…? For these people who can't afford Internet yet?

India is not the egalitarian society you seem to think it is.

[Fraggle850]

@AC Re: Come on India...

> India is not the egalitarian society you seem to think it is.

I'm under no illusions on that point and am fully aware of the iniquitous caste system, I just wonder whether there might be a few progressives amongst the burgeoning middle class. Jolly old blighty still has regressive remnants of the class system but things are better than they used to be. I hope that the same will apply to India as it develops economically.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Come on India...

Talent, yes. Funding sources, perhaps not. Companies like Google and Facebook have scale that allows them to monetize this a lot better than a new entrant. And can afford for it to run at a loss for a while and perhaps even fail.

[Crazy Operations Guy]

Re: Come on India...

Pretty much all the Tech Talent in India is working for the Western companies through out-sourcing firms already.

If fact, its quite likely that the engineers working on Google Loon are citizen of India.

[MrDamage]

Re: Come on India...

Why can't all those people who work for "the Microsoft", who seem to know well in advance that my Linux system is infected with all sorts of Win-borne virii, be put to good use and craft a home grown solution?

[Anonymous Coward]

Raman Jit Singh Chama

The name next his photo says "Chima"...

[Raumkraut]

Your delivery of Internet is on its way!

Don't forget that Facebook/Internet.org also have their own Internet-by-drone project - using actual high-altitude drones, rather than RC quadcopters as the term is commonly understood. And I think they were also playing with satellites as well?

Neither of these projects have been shot down, and both are more directly comparable to Google's Project Loon, as all these projects are about providing generic Internet access, rather than piggy-backing on existing, but slow, mobile infrastructure.

[nijam]

ao;dr