What I can't understand is, why is TELSTRa not utilising this technology to actually save cash and boost their internet network so we can all experience the type of speed every third world country is getting. Too little brains and too much cost.

I read about project Loon some years ago and I don't think the intention was ever to "base" the balloons over particular locations. Rather I think the idea, fanciful as it may seem, is to have large numbers of these things continually floating around at high altitude on the prevailing winds and each beaming broadband onto what would be a fairly large area of the earth from those altitudes. I guess they use solar power and get the broadband connections beamed up from terrestrial stations or perhaps even satellites. They are obviously also equipped with ADS-B since we can see at least some of them on internet flight trackers but I'd be interested to know if anyone, in deepest Africa for instance, is actually getting broadband from them. Who knows what other tricks might be up there?

13 Balloons out today over WA, NT and QLD.

You're right.
I had high-speed fibre to my house in Balikpapan from 2013, excellent performance.
AUD approx. $50 / month including comprehensive international cable TV.

That's a small / medium sized city in the jungle in Borneo with a relatively small market for Internet accounts.
But then, there were very few dead spots for cell coverage either, anywhere in Kalimantan where there is a road. A few 5 minute gaps through some of the hillier, jungle areas.

Western Australia you lose your cell connection as soon as you hit the top of the Darling Scarp and only pick it up again if you're within line-of-sight to one of the infrequent country area towers.

Not sure what distance you're talking about, but 20 km will have you outside cell coverage in Perth; and I don't mean just dead spots.

And the truly criminal thing, is that for new suburbs in the Perth Metropolitan area, they're still putting in copper.

There usually seem to be some Loons over South America, sometimes Puerto Rico area and there are about 14 over Australia (north and north west) right now. On FR24, set an altitude filter to say 45,500-MAX ft and they stand out clearly. At present MAX seems to be about 65,000 and perhaps these balloons may sometimes be above that.

Here is a launch facility in USA. https://goo.gl/maps/VYjibCuN9f32



https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3aa12724b5.png

Last I heard from Airservices the letter of agreement with Google stated Loons would operate almost always above FL600 i.e. above CTA, and only descend below that under strict conditions, with notification to ATC.

It may be resolved now, but a couple of years ago the altitude information the Loons were generating via SSR and ADS-B wasn't pressure-altitude based. Instead it was height above terrain, based on the current GPS position referenced to an internal topographic database, which wasn't any use to ATC for separation.

That's a question for the FAA.

Would seem those guys did not want to take a chance...

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....746a5fa44d.jpg
loon out of Africa

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....bfdddb9ff6.png
I found one in the wild a few weeks ago, they're fitted with strobes.