One of three balloons that would be used in the trials entered Sri Lankan airspace last Monday.

However, Tweeting yesterday (17), minister of Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure minister - Harin Fernando has said “flight control of safely landing the balloon under standard operating procedures was successfully carried this evening #GoogleLoon”

Attempts to contact the minister for further clarifications were unsuccessful.

The balloons, once in the stratosphere, will be twice as high as commercial airliners and barely visible to the naked eye. The balloons will have a lifespan of about 180 days, but can be recycled, according to Sri Lankan officials involved in the venture.

Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia to introduce mobile phones in 1989 and the first to roll out a 3G network in 2004. It was also the first in the region to unveil a 4G network two years ago.