Google Loon brings universal internet access to Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is now well on its way to becoming the first country in the entire world to have universal internet coverage. This is thanks to Google Loon, a project in which Google sends up balloons over the country to relay internet to the entire populace. This service is delivering what they call "affordable high-speed internet", though we're not entirely sure of the speed just yet, and the project is a collaboration between Google and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka's Foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera suggested this week that "from this event onward, advertisements or headlines saying "Matara covered," or "Jaffna covered," will become a part of history." He spoke of the unveiling event of this balloon-powered internet for everyone project, referring to regions throughout the country as "covered" once balloons were in place.

According to official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka, the minister said that he was "proud to declare that we are at the cusp of a reclaiming our heritage of being connected to each other and connected to the world."

"In a few months we will truly be able to say: Sri Lanka. Covered."

It is suggested by the Sri Lankan Information and Communication Technology Agency that balloons will likely cover the entire country by next March, 2016.