Communication balloons 500b may be released in to the earth's stratosphere to attain a desired altitude and provide connectivity to a ground area at speeds comparable to terrestrial wireless data services (such as, third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, or 3G, or fourth generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, or 4G). The communication balloons 500b may float in the stratosphere, at an altitude higher than airplanes and the weather (e.g., 20 km above the Earth's surface). The communication balloons 500b are carried around the earth by winds and can be steered by rising or descending to an altitude with winds moving in the desired direction. Winds in the stratosphere are usually steady and move slowly at about 5 and 20 mph, and each layer of wind varies in direction and magnitude. In some examples, the one or more processors 210 in the communication device 200 of communication balloon 500b may be configured to execute algorithms to determine where the high-altitude balloon 500b needs to go. The one or more processors 210 may further be configured to move the high-altitude balloon 500b into a layer of wind blowing in a direction that may take the balloon 500b where it should be going.

Example Methods