Alphabet’s Loon balloon-based internet access effort is shutting down. Facebook shut down Aquila, its unmanned aerial vehicle effort to provide internet access, in 2018. That leaves low earth orbit satellite constellations as the remaining “new platforms” being developed to supply internet access especially to remote and underserved areas.
The fate of other high altitude pseudo satellite efforts is unclear. Zephyr might wind up as a military or commercial sensing platform or a disaster relief tool, more than a consumer internet access platform.
The ultimate success of LEO constellations also remains to be tested. The first wave crashed in the 1990s.
All of the efforts--failed and yet to be determined--simply illustrate the huge cost and tough business models for access networks generally, and especially for networks capable of supporting users in remote areas, at lowish cost.
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