The alliance will include telecommunications, technology and aerospace companies.
A group of companies representing the telecommunications, technology and aerospace industries announced the creation of a structure called the HAPS Alliance. Alliance members expect to jointly develop and promote Internet connection technology using high-altitude aircraft located in the stratosphere.
The list of parties expressing their intention to join the HAPS Alliance includes SoftBank (including a subsidiary of HAPSMobile), Loon (part of Alphabet holding), AeroVironment, Airbus Defense and Space, Bharti Airtel, China Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Intelsat US, Nokia and Telefónica SA.
The members of the association intend to push governments towards more active implementation of the “Internet at high altitudes” and create conditions for cooperation, developing common standards.
Platforms located in the stratosphere have an advantage over terrestrial infrastructure in regions where its deployment is impossible for technical reasons or is not economically justified, for example, in the mountains, on remote islands, in developing countries. As an example, the source cites transactions between Loon and wireless operators in Kenya and Peru, which allowed to reach hard-to-reach areas with low population density by communication.
