BT is readying a High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), the extremely high-flying aircraft for a test over its Adastral Park R&D facility in Suffolk, UK. BT is partnering with Stratospheric Platforms (SPL) and is exploring integrating the HAPS technology with fixed terrestrial networks, and the option of a non-terrestrial 5G as alternative to serving ‘not […]
A High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) – a very high-flying solar-powered unmanned aircraft – has wrapped a demo stratosphere flight delivering 5G connectivity over Rwanda. The exercise was backed by Japanese media conglomerate SoftBank. The aircraft delivered two-way 5G connections for 73 minutes from a height of almost 17 kms. The test included a ZOoom video […]
HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station), sometimes in the shape of a giant balloon or – as in this case – a high-flying unmanned aircraft system (UAS) has caught the eye of Japan’s SoftBank. The objective is to use a HAPS vehicle or balloon to serve broadband to a very wide region below. On October 1st […]
There’s growing interest in High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) which can take the form of very high-flying aircraft or balloons and airships. Thales Alenia Space has won a contract from the European Commission to proceed with development of its EuroHAPS project. The contract is worth €43 million and will fund a demonstration craft which Thales […]
UK-based tech disruptor Avealto is taking legal action against a subsidiary of Airbus. The company, which is committed to providing a novel, environmentally friendly solution to deliver low cost, high-speed Internet to the world’s poorest communities, has issued a cease and desist letter against Airbus HAPS Connectivity Solutions Ltd – recently renamed Aalto HAPS Ltd […]
Platforms Stratospheric(SPL), based in Cambridgeshire, UK, is working with Indonesian company PT Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Protelindo), the largest telecommunication infrastructure company in Indonesia, Protelindo which wants to use drones as flying platforms for 5G services. Protolindo has taken a financial stake in Stratospheric. SPL is looking to raise £130 million to help fund its progress. […]
UK-based Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) has received investment from PT Profesional Telekomunikasi, a telecommunication infrastructure company in Indonesia. SPL seeks to provide high bandwidth telecoms network coverage from the stratosphere using hydrogen-powered High Altitude Platforms (HAPS) delivered by unmanned aircraft. This strategic partnership and investment will enable SPL to explore with Protelindo development of an […]
BT Group and Stratospheric Platforms (SPL) have announced they will test delivering mobile coverage using new antenna technology, designed to be mounted on a High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) aircraft. The trials, being conducted at BT’s global R&D headquarters at Adastral Park, aim to provide coverage to the hardest to reach areas. BT says the project, […]
Aerospace giant Airbus has relaunched its high-altitude Platform Station business (HAPS) with a new name, Aalto, and is targeting high-altitude surveillance, 5G and direct-to-device connectivity. The company is expected to seek outside investment for the programme which will then be spun-off as a separate business. Zephyr/Aalto, using very high-flying solar-electric drones, will initially be 100 […]
Airbus has signed a Letter of Intent for its Zephyr HAPS Connectivity Business with Space Compass of Japan for a cooperation agreement to service the Japanese market with mobile connectivity and earth observation services from the stratosphere. The Zephyr system is a very high aircraft (HAPS/High Altitude Platform System) which can stay aloft for months. […]