Airbus moves forward with new agreement to test Zephyr as a space-based high-bandwidth connectivity platform

Airbus and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, INC. and SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation announced today, January 17, that they initiated a study of the feasibility of collaborating on future high-altitude platform station (HAPS)-based connectivity services as part of a future space-based wireless connectivity ecosystem.

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The study, launched with a memorandum of understanding, seeks to determine the initial deployment requirements for a HAPS-based network. The collaboration will investigate the use of the Airbus Zephyr, the leading solar-powered fixed-wing unmanned aerial system (UAS), and the wireless communication networks of NTT, DOCOMO, and SKY Perfect JSAT to test HAPS connectivity, identify practical applications, develop the necessary technologies and ultimately launch space-based wireless broadband services.

In the overall effort to further advance 5G and eventually introduce 6G, initiatives are underway to expand coverage around the world, including over oceans and air, as well as in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Such initiatives will include HAPS, which flies in the stratosphere about 20 km above the Earth, and non-terrestrial network (NTN) technologies using geostationary orbit (GEO) and low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

HAPS networks are considered a relatively easy solution for air and maritime connectivity and an effective platform for deploying disaster countermeasures and have many industrial applications. The delivery of space-based radio access network services using NTN technologies, collectively referred to as Space RAN (radio access network), is expected to support global mobile communications with ultra-wide coverage and enhanced disaster resilience, as well as the enhancement of 5G and 6G.

Furthermore, HAPS platforms can also interconnect with the nearest terrestrial network gateway and extend the reach of existing mobile services directly to end-user devices, offering service options including rural, emergency, and maritime connectivity.

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With the signing of the MOU, the four companies will discuss and identify potential future developments needed to unlock HAPS-based connectivity services, push for standardization and institutionalization of HAPS operations, and explore business models for commercializing HAPS services.

Specific topics will include:

– the applicability of HAPS for mobile ground connectivity and base station backhaul;

– the performance of various frequency bands in HAPS systems;

– technological considerations for connecting HAPS to satellites and ground base stations; and

– the establishment of a cooperative system to test a network combining NTN technology, satellites, and HAPS.

As announced previously separately on November 15, 2021, DOCOMO and Airbus successfully conducted a propagation test between ground and a «Zephyr S» HAPS aircraft in the stratosphere, demonstrating the possibility of providing stable communication with such a configuration.

The Zephyr has a wingspan of 25 meters and weighs less than 75 kg. According to Airbus, a single aircraft provides coverage equivalent to that of about 250 cell phone antennas.