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SPL demonstrates world first 5G connectivity from stratosphere

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Cambridge-based Stratospheric Platforms has demonstrated five hours of 5G broadband connectivity between a ‘stratospheric 5G mast’ flying at 45,000 ft and a 5G smartphone.

View of Saudi Arabia from the Stratosphere (Credit SPL)

The world first telecoms trial was run in collaboration with the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) in the airspace above The Red Sea Project. Engineers connected to the local telecoms network, completing tests between a 5G base station, flying stratospheric antenna, and retail mobile devices.

The trial projected a 5G signal to an area of 450km2 and proved the technology can achieve 90Mb/sec mobile download speeds comparable to terrestrial 5G networks at significantly lower cost.

The joint team established three-way video calls between the land-based test site, a mobile device operated from a boat and a control site located 950km away. Further land and heliborne tests demonstrated a user could stream 4K video to a mobile phone with an average latency of 1 millisecond above network speed. Signal strength trials, using a 5G enabled device moving at 100km/h, proved full interoperability with ground-based masts and a consistent ‘five bars’ in known white spots.

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