This fall, companies are launching High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS), testing communication services from the stratosphere to smartphones. The vehicles differ. One used a solar-powered airplane and another an airship, but the intention was the same: allow connectivity to wireless handsets in unserved areas and provide real-time data capture of air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and crop conditions.
Sceye, a material science company and manufacturer of HAPS, connected a 4G antenna with 3D beamforming to an unmanned stratospheric platform on October 30, which was launched from its New Mexico facility. The antennas ride in a 500-foot long, 130 foot-wide airship, which is solar powered during the day and battery powered at night.
The test, which demonstrated the feasibility of extending high-speed internet services, was performed on behalf of one of the world’s largest private telecom carriers, the State of New Mexico Economic Development Department and a consortium of carriers focused on providing connectivity across the Navajo Nation.
The test used Blue Danube’s BeamCraft™ 500, which is an adaptive beamforming radio unit operating in mid-band frequencies. Accurate beams were demonstrated with dynamic sidelobe control and 23dBi antenna gain. RF signals were dynamically controlled and coordinated through 3D-beam shaping, tilting and power distribution in real-time, responding to the HAPS movements and environmental conditions, according to Blue Danube.
Zephyr S Takes to the Skies to Prove HAPS
In August, Airbus and NTT Docomo, Inc. demonstrated the ability of the Zephyr S, a solar-powered, uncrewed airplane with a wingspan of 82 feet, to deliver wireless broadband connectivity during 18-day stratospheric flights.
Carrying an onboard radio transmitter, the Zephyr S provided a datalink during a stratospheric flight to simulate future direct-to-device connectivity. Test data was captured at different altitudes and at different times of day and night, to assess how connectivity is affected in the stratosphere by factors including weather conditions, elevation angles and aircraft flight patterns.
The tests used different bandwidths to simulate direct-to-device HAPS service. The demonstration “confirmed the viability and versatility” of the 2 GHz spectrum and 450 MHz bands for HAPS-based coverage. The test data will be used to inform future LTE direct-to-device services, the companies said, which are expected to be provided via the Airbus Zephyr HAPS solution.
Bayanat for Mapping and Surveying Services, based in the United Arab Emirates, recently announced its plans to launch a maiden flight of its HAPS (high altitude pseudo satellite), a remotely piloted and solar powered aircraft, at the Dubai Airshow, according to the Khaleej Times. The geospatial and data analytics/AI company plans to use HAPS for environmental research.
The FCC has taken note of all the HAPS activity. On November 2, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau published a public notice in the Federal Register, asking whether the 70/80/90 GHz Bands could be used by stratospheric-based platforms to provide broadband internet access to underserved communities. Comments are due by December 2, and replies are due by January 3, 2022, according to law firm JD Supra.
By J. Sharpe Smith Inside Towers Technology Editor
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