Loon, the Alphabet-owned company focused on bringing internet connectivity to rural populations, has announced its first commercial deal, which will see it partner with Telkom Kenya to deliver online access in rural Kenya via balloon.

The Loon service will aim to provide extended 4G/LTE coverage to rural and suburban areas with lower population densities using high altitude balloons that operate 20km about sea level, placing them out of range of air traffic, wildlife and weather events. The balloons act as floating cell towers, powered by solar panels and transmitting Telkoms service to people below.

“This partnership demonstrated the Boards commitment to guide and oversee the transformation of Telkom into a business with a reputation for innovation, with respect to its product and service offering,” said Eddy Njoroge, chair of Telkom Kenyas board. “This partnership with Loon is also true testament of our resolve to deploy pioneer technologies due to their potential impact to our customers.”

The pilot scheme will take place within the general area of central Kenya, much of which has traditionally been hard to service, due to mountainous and inaccessible terrain. The exact coverage areas will be determined in the coming months, and is subject to the requisite regulatory approvals. This marks Loons first commercial deal following its spin-off from Alphabets moonshot unit, X. The firm is now an independent business under Alphabets umbrella, which also includes Google.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Telkom for our first engagement in Africa,” said Alastair Westgarth, CEO of Loon. “Their innovative approach to serving their customers makes this collaboration an excellent fit. Loons mission is to connect people everywhere by inventing and integrating audacious technologies. We couldnt be more pleased to start in Kenya.”