TOKYOJun 05 (News On Japan) – NTT Docomo has announced that it will be the first in the world to deploy a ‘flying base station’ in the stratosphere to communicate with the ground by 2026.
The ‘HAPS’ (High Altitude Platform Station), which will be developed by Docomo and others, is called a ‘flying base station’. This system deploys an unmanned aircraft in the stratosphere that serves as a base station and enables 5G communications within a radius of approximately 100 kilometers on the ground.
Docomo plans to invest up to 15 billion yen in an Airbus subsidiary developing the unmanned aircraft, and aims to start services in 2026.
HAPS has the advantage of connecting directly to smartphones and other devices without the need for specialized communications equipment. It is envisaged that it will be useful for early restoration of communications in the event of an earthquake and for providing communications services in mountainous areas where infrastructure development is challenging.
Source: ANN
