Airbus Zephyr Using Solar-Powered Plane as Communications Platform
Airbus Zephyr is showing new possibilities for providing low-latency wireless broadband to a large area without terrestrial facilities, Mobilocity analyst Gerry Purdy said Wednesday in a note to subscribers. The project uses a high-altitude platform station on “an innovative new…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
solar-powered plane that can stay aloft for months over a given area flying at 70,000 feet -- well above the flight paths of commercial airlines,” Purdy said. Zephyr is a joint project of Saudi Arabia’s Salam Telecommunications and Mawarid Media and Communications, working with Airbus, he said. Initial plans call for Zephyr “to provide communication and internet services to mountain regions, remote islands and maritime areas as well as any other areas in which there is a need for cellular service,” Purdy said.