Redazione RHC : 3 August 2025 09:38
SoftBank has announced that trials of 4G and 5G base stations installed on airships will begin in Japan in 2026. The airships will lift the equipment to an altitude of 20 km, into the stratosphere, where there are virtually no strong winds. Such a high-altitude platform will provide a direct connection to ordinary smartphones and promises latency half that of the Starlink satellite system. The operation of stratospheric platforms will be cheaper.
Japan’s SoftBank is relying on the developments of the American startup Sceye of Moriarty, New Mexico. The cooperation agreement was signed in 2020. In October 2023, the joint team of Sceye and SoftBank made the world’s first publicly announced international call from Rwanda to Tokyo using a stratospheric cellular platform.
This platform, in addition to the two-way radio equipment, is equipped with powerful batteries and flexible solar panels that cover the airship’s outer casing. Thanks to the batteries and solar cells, the lighter-than-air aircraft can remain aloft for up to a year, held in place with the help of electric motors.
SoftBank has not It’s still unclear whether high-altitude cellular communications will be used permanently in sparsely populated areas or whether the platforms will be activated as needed, such as in emergencies and natural disasters. A trial operation planned for 2026 will allow for more precise calculations and an informed decision.
The company emphasizes that high-altitude platforms are not just repeaters. For the user, connecting to the airship’s “tower” will be as imperceptible as switching from one ground base station to another while moving. This was made possible, in part, by the decision of the International Telecommunication Union, which in 2023 assigned a frequency range of 700 MHz to 2.6 GHz for stratospheric platforms, an order of magnitude smaller than previously. This has made it possible to directly connect ordinary smartphones to these stations, effectively changing the rules of the game in this emerging market.
At the same time, SoftBank makes no secret of the fact that airships as a platform are far from perfect. The structure itself accounts for 30% of the mass, while another 30% is made up of power equipment. Only about 250 kg remains for the payload. Nonetheless, one such stratospheric station can replace up to 25 ground towers, making the project economically promising.
In addition, SoftBank is also developing high-altitude platforms on heavier-than-air vehicles with rigid wings, which it promises to unveil later. Each platform will occupy its own niche and will be able to compete with orbital satellites in a range of tasks.
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