The idea has been rejected before
Google first proposed a pilot of Loon in India last year. However, the proposal was shot down by various ministries, including telecom, civil aviation, home and defence because of concerns relating to spectrum, air space, security and surveillance.
One of the primary concerns was that the spectrum band required by Google for the transmission — 700MHz to 900MHz — is currently occupied by telecom service providers and could lead to interference with cellular transmissions. Besides, the civil aviation ministry feared that the balloons may interfere with flight paths; the home ministry was worried about surveillance; and the defence ministry was apprehensive about the balloons floating over military establishments and coming in the way of military aircraft.
The first official quoted above said that the location of the pilot will be identified based on suggestions from the civil aviation ministry that the helium-filled balloons should be hosted at a place where there is minimal interference with the civilian air space. "We will identify the location and then approach the civil aviation ministry for permission. It will be done like in the case of joy rides — we will provide specifics in terms of the starting and closing time of the pilot for them to be adequately informed," said the official. However, the issue of spectrum is still a tricky one. After the plans are firmed up, the department of telecom will be approached for permission, said the official.