Sceye and SoftBank’s flying base station trial enabled voice calls and data transfer with smartphones in Japan. The results announced by the companies on September 2 show that, in addition to satellites, platforms in the stratosphere can also be an option for direct connection to phones. Commercial service in Japan 2027It is aimed to be put into operation from .
Sceye’s lighter-than-air platform reached Japan from the US state of New Mexico in approximately 13 days. The length of the flight over the Pacific exceeded 15 thousand kilometers. The vehicle maintained its position in the designated area off Muroto Cape in Kochi and participated in communication experiments.
In the trials, the 4G LTE-like base station on the platform was connected to SoftBank’s core network through a gateway on the ground. Teams tested phone calls, text messages and video communications, as well as disaster alerts. On the other hand, tests were limited to certain devices, regions and times.
In addition, a connection between the platform and the unmanned aerial vehicle was tried. In a separate edge computing test, SoftBank deployed the mobile core network and server on the platform. Thus, some operations took place on the airborne server without first sending the data to the internet infrastructure on the ground.
Solar energy powers the platform to stay aloft day and night
Behind this structure are high altitude platform systems, HAPS in short. Sceye’s platform description describes the system as a layer that will bridge the gap between ground-based grids and infrastructure in space. In addition to communication, the company also counts Earth observation and monitoring of climate-related disasters among its areas of use.
In order to stay in the air for a long time, the energy cycle must operate uninterruptedly. Sceye states that in its trial in August 2024, it worked with solar energy during the day and charged the batteries, and used this stored energy at night. The vehicle managed to stay above the same study area in the stratosphere throughout the day and night.
The real importance of this approach for the reader is related to what infrastructure is accessible where the phone is located. Ground stations, satellites and HAPS can undertake different tasks. For this reason, a successful flight should not be evaluated in the same sense as a ready-made service that provides uninterrupted connection everywhere.
The Japan trial represents a phase that tests flight endurance and communications infrastructure together. In addition, commercial use requires improving operation rules and communication quality. Since a service date for Türkiye has not been announced, these results do not imply a mobile connection option that will be available immediately in Türkiye.