Input 2021.01.04 10:21
7.3 billion won per development cost… Commercialization in 2023, mass production target in 2027
Service available where it is difficult to install ground base stations… Effective in pioneering emerging countries
The era of communication base stations flying off the ground and flying in the sky is coming. Japan’s SoftBank’s self-developed so-called’flying communication base station’ will be considered for a test flight in Okinawa and Hokkaido this year.
‘Flying base station’ refers to providing communication service by floating an unmanned aerial vehicle (HAPS, similar high altitude satellite) equipped with a communication base station in the stratosphere about 20 km. It is expected that it will be able to provide mobile phone service even in areas where it is difficult to build a base station on the ground, which will be effective in pioneering emerging markets.
On September 22nd, HAPS Mobile successfully tested its own unmanned aerial vehicle Sunglider in New Mexico, USA. The drone launched by the company flew about 20 hours with only the battery and sunlight charged before the flight and stayed in the stratosphere for 5 hours.
The plane is 78 meters long, has 10 propellers, and flies through the stratosphere at 110 km/h. The power is solar. It stays at a certain point in the stratosphere for about half a year and sends radio waves to the ground. It is a structure that handles ground communication with a diameter of 200 km.
The development cost per unit is 700 million yen (7.37 billion won). The company aims to reduce development costs to 100 million yen. The key to cost reduction is how much the solar panel cost can be reduced. It is also being considered to upgrade and install a lithium-ion battery that obtains the power required for night flight to a next-generation type that is safer and has twice the energy density.
Australia and Rwanda, Africa are the most interested in flying base station services around the world. Australia has a mobile phone penetration rate of 90%, but covers only 10% of its land area. Rwanda has decided to cooperate with SoftBank to test flights and provide mobile communications services in its own country as there are many places where ground stations cannot be installed.
However, since the’flying base station’ is an unprecedented service, there are many tasks until practical use. This is because no country has allowed aircraft to fly in the stratosphere. Softbank is working with more than 30 global telecommunications companies such as Nokia and Ericsson on a project to expand flying base stations worldwide. In February, the HAPS Alliance was launched.
The US Amazon is raising its arms to provide communication services in space beyond the Earth. In July, Amazon was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to provide communications services using satellites. In the future, it announced that it will invest $10 billion in this sector to deploy more than 3,000 satellites to bridge the digital divide.