TOPICS
Today's Challenge
Will Be Tomorrow's
Normal
With its leading technology, SoftBank will establish new infrastructure to create a society where people and things are connected around the world.
HAPS will lead
the Information Revolution
We will forge a new future to
provide reliable connection.
HAPS Concept Movie
HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) is a telecommunication platform located in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20 km.
HAPS, or "flying base stations," provide communication services from aircraft that stay in the stratosphere, where winds are relatively calm throughout the year.
It enables direct communication with mobile devices like the smartphones we use daily, and its closer proximity to the ground compared to GEO and LEO satellites allows for low-latency communication.
SoftBank began exploring aircraft development for its HAPS business in April 2017. Then, in December of the same year, the company established HAPSMobile Inc.* to plan its HAPS business.
Approximately three years after development began, in September 2020, the aircraft successfully completed its first stratospheric flight and a LTE communication test using stratospheric communication equipment (payloads).
September 2023 marked the world's first delivery of 5G communications from the stratosphere using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with a payload which was developed in-house.
In the future, SoftBank aims to build HAPS and expand its business globally.
Wide Area Coverage
SoftBank's HAPS is large and can carry high-performance and large payloads.
A single aircraft can cover a communication area of maximum 200 km in diameter, and it can be used in areas where communication networks are not available, such as the sky, remote islands, mountainous areas, and in developing countries, which are difficult to cover with ground base stations. Our HAPS systems will be able to build stable Internet connections in these regions.
HAPS and terrestrial base stations can use the same frequencies. For this reason, existing smartphones and IoT devices will work in the HAPS network area.
Use Cases
HAPS uses the same frequencies as those of base stations on the ground, so current smartphones can be used without any upgrade. No special device is needed to use maps and share photos while mountain climbing or enjoying outdoor events in rural areas.
A completely new world is emerging where connecting everything to the internet creates new value. By supporting IoT communication standards with HAPS technology, we can provide widespread coverage for a variety of IoT services.
Drones are not just for taking photos and videos from the sky. Many other drone services are about to begin, including delivery services and construction site maintenance and inspections. SoftBank can provide stable network connectivity from the ground up to the sky, supporting future drone businesses.
Telecommunications infrastructure serves as a critical lifeline in the event of disasters. With HAPS, we can continue to provide reliable network connectivity, even if base stations on the ground are taken down by massive earthquakes, storms or tsunamis.
(Iwate Disater Tsunami / Provided by Miyako City)
Specifications of the Aircraft
There are two types of aircraft system for HAPS. The LTA (Lighter Than Air) type, which is lighter than air and uses buoyancy to maintain flight, and the fixed-wing HTA (Heavier Than Air) type, which stays in the air with lift like an airplane.
Lighter Than Air HAPS System “Sceye”
We have partnered with the US-based company Sceye Inc.
“Sceye” is buoyed by helium, which is lighter than air, and can stay in the stratosphere for extended periods of time.
The wide variety of payloads that can be carried by the HAPS system allows for its use in a wide range of situations in the future.
Pre-commercial HAPS service is scheduled to begin in Japan in 2026 for the restoration of service areas in the event of a disaster and to provide stable communication services.
- Name
- Sceye
- Length
- 65 m
- Flight Duration
- Several months
Aircraft Movie
Fixed-wing Heavier Than Air HAPS Aircraft “Sunglider”
“Sunglider” is an unmanned aircraft system equipped with solar panels.
By utilizing solar power and batteries, the aircraft maintains sufficient speed and stays at a stable fixed point without being swept away by the wind. Solar power generation reduces environmental impact by storing energy. In the future, we aim to expand our business globally, focusing on countries near the equator, where telecommunications are difficult to connect.
A stratospheric test flight on September 21, 2020 was successfully completed. Sunglider reached an altitude of 62,500 feet (approximately 19 kilometers) and stayed aloft for 5 hours and 38 minutes in the stratosphere.
It also marked the world’s first successful delivery of LTE connectivity from a fixed-wing HAPS autonomous aircraft in the stratosphere.
- Name
- Sunglider
- Wingspan
- 78 m
- Cruise Speed
- 110 km/h
- Flight Duration
- Several months
- Battery
- High energy density Lithium ion
Aircraft Movie
Real Aircraft
Sunglider's Test Flight
in the Stratosphere
Core foundational technologies of HAPS
Since the aircraft circulates in the stratosphere, the payload supports all movements of the aircraft and enables stable communication quality by fixing the communication area from the stratosphere. In addition, interference avoidance technology makes it possible to use the same radio wave frequencies as those on the ground. Along with the expansion of the communication area, it will be possible to increase communication capacity.
We are developing next-generation batteries that are safe, lightweight, and have high weight energy density, which will be the power source of the HAPS aircraft even in the stratosphere’s harsh environment with ultra-low temperatures at around minus 70 degrees.
Motor for HAPS achieves light weight, high efficiency, and high reliability that enables long-time flight of the aircraft with only solar power generation, and stable performance and high thermal dissipation even in the low-pressure environment of the stratosphere.
SoftBank, along with other leading companies in the telecommunications, technology and aviation industries, are united in their goal to foster a HAPS ecosystem.
Unify voices within
the HAPS industry
- Enhance the importance and understanding of HAPS through activities that raise awareness.
- Align the voices of HAPS industry leaders into a unified message for partners, regulators, and the public.
Cross-industry
collaboration
- Foster a HAPS ecosystem by collaborating with other industries.
Promote safety standards
and help build regulatory
frameworks
- In cooperation with the aviation regulators, advance the regulation and standardization of operations in upper air spaces, including the stratosphere.
- Advocate for international standardization of frequencies used for HAPS and emerging commercial standards.
Accelerate HAPS
technologies and
commercial adoption
- Hasten the development and adoption of HAPS technology through industry-wide standards, interoperability guidelines, and regulatory policies.
Publications
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