The Loon project for providing broadband Internet access using balloons has gained significant support in the technology sector. It is implemented by Loon LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., and HAPSMobile, part of SoftBank Group Corp.
At the end of this week, a group of telecommunications, technology, aviation, and aerospace companies, including Airbus Defence and Space and SoftBank Corp., announced the formation of a partnership called the HAPS Alliance. The stated goal of the alliance is to promote the use of high-altitude aircraft in the Earth’s stratosphere to bridge the digital divide and provide Internet access to more people in remote areas of the planet.
HAPSMobile, Loon, AeroVironment, Airbus Defense and Space, Bharti Airtel Limited, China Telecom Corporation, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Intelsat, Nokia Corporation, SoftBank Corp., and Telefónica have all committed to joining the HAPS Alliance, which was initially an initiative of HAPSMobile and Loon.
The expanded alliance aims to create a collaborative ecosystem of stations based on high-altitude telecommunications platforms (HAPS) and promote unified regulations and industry-wide standards for high-altitude vehicles that carry networking equipment on balloons (in Loon's case) and HAPSMobile's drones. Both systems are powered by solar energy.
Loon has already made deals with wireless operators in and . Its technology enables Internet access in low-density or mountainous remote areas and supports service during natural disasters.
HAPSMobile, the brainchild of SoftBank Corp.'s Chief Technology Officer Junichi Miyakawa, plans to commercialize its services in 2023.
Source: 3dnews.ru
