Latest news with #HighAltitudePlatformStation
Asahi Shimbun
19-07-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Softbank to begin trial runs of ‘base stations in the sky' in 2026
Softbank Corp. said it will start trial tests of the High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) system in Japan in 2026. (Provided by Softbank Corp.) Telecom giant Softbank Corp. announced it will begin trials of a telecommunications system that operates closer to Earth than satellites. The High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) sends radio waves to the ground surface from an altitude of 20 kilometers. Trials of the 'base stations in the sky' are set to begin in Japan in 2026 with full-fledged telecommunications services eyed in 2027 or later. Each HAPS measures 65 meters and relies on the buoyancy of helium gas to remain airborne. The airships will be manufactured by Sceye Inc., a U.S. maker of aerospace parts. The HAPS system can deliver radio waves to a broad ground-surface area measuring 200 km across, which makes it ideal when restoring communications in times of disaster and providing network access to hard-to-reach areas such as mountainous regions. The system can also be used to communicate with drones. The HAPS vehicles are closer to the ground surface than satellites, such as those of the Starlink constellation operated by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) of the United States. They can be used to provide voice calls, internet access and other services in much the same way that terrestrial networks do. HAPS services will be able to deliver radio waves within hours of a disaster occurring, Softbank officials said. 'We want to restore communications in a disaster in the three stages of immediate response by satellites, HAPS services to be made available within several hours, and finally, ground-based station services,' a Softbank official said.
Yomiuri Shimbun
27-06-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan's SoftBank to Trial ‘Flying Base Stations' From 2026; System to Initially be Used to Support Disaster Response, Areas with Weak Signal
SoftBank Corp. announced Thursday that it would begin trials of High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric telecommunications services in Japan in 2026. HAPS, which is referred to as 'base stations in the sky,' is a telecommunication platform comprised of communication devices such as antennas for mobile phone base stations, which are loaded on aircraft that fly in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20 kilometers. SoftBank will invest about ¥2.2 billion in the U.S.-based company Sceye Inc., which develops lighter-than-air airship-type HAPS aircraft buoyed by helium and will begin using Sceye's platform. The technology will be utilized for restoring communications during large-scale disasters. HAPS are powered by solar panels and batteries, can remain airborne for extended periods and are able to cover a wider area than ground-based base stations. SoftBank will procure one Sceye aircraft of 65 meters long and begin test operations in Japan. The pre-commercial service will be limited to select users to accumulate operational data. Commercial services for general users are expected to begin after 2027, being used for disaster response and in areas where ground-based base station signals cannot be picked up, such as on remote islands.
