Google might start testing Project Loon in India

After attempting multiple times to get the green light for Project Loon testing in India, Google is reportedly in talks with the Indian government to finally begin a 4-day trial of the internet service. According to ET tech, Google’s desire is to see how effective Loon will be in rural areas because there is already optimal online functionality in the larger cities.

A meeting with Google and the National Informatics Center is scheduled for this week to determine where the testing will occur. The meeting will also address any final needs or concerns about the project, seeing as how it was the concerns of Telecom and the Civil Aviation Ministry that got them denied in the first place. If the meeting proves successful, this will be the first instance where the Indian government has given Google the thumbs-up to test their new Wi-Fi tech. The testing will supposedly happen in either Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra.

Even if Project Loon were to be denied, however, Google is still very committed to provide accessible internet to India. They recently provided free, high-speed Wi-Fi to a select number of train stations in the country.

Project Loon is already being tested in Sri Lanka, Brazil, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Indonesia has even signed on to allow Google to provide internet there through the balloons. If everything goes according to plan, India could be the next country to get the Loon treatment.