English group BT has announced that it will test a 5G flying antenna to cover remote areas of the UK with Stratospheric Platforms (SPL). The concept uses a high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (HAPS) equipped with antennas that radiate a signal.
If the project is successful, the linkages will be in the areas of transport, maritime security, search and rescue. In addition to the expected fast and seamless connectivity for consumers living outside of major UK hubs.
The antenna technology can deliver 4G and 5G connectivity directly to devices, with speeds of up to 150 Mbps in areas ranging from 140 km to 15,000 sq km. For this purpose, it uses 500 direct beams.
In addition to wide area connectivity, the solution is expected to deliver significant cost savings. HAPS is powered by hydrogen and does not require the use of land infrastructure in remote areas.
Start without a plane
The first step will be taken with the demonstration of 5G HAPS communications. The antenna will be placed on a tall building (simulating a high-altitude platform) to test its connectivity with an open RAN-type 5G architecture. This test will cover supporting multiple user groups simultaneously on the same network and different possible use cases.
“This project has the potential to further improve our 4G and 5G coverage, which is the largest and most reliable in the UK, to connect underserved rural areas and enable exciting new use cases for private users,” said Tim Whitley, BT’s managing director. Group research and network strategy.
Additionally, SPL’s CEO Richard Deakin commented, “This partnership will build on SPL’s first global 5G demonstration from the stratosphere achieved in 2022.” Startup SPL was formed in Cambridge in 2014 with input from German operator Deutsche Telekom.
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