Abu Dhabi: Mira Aerospace successfully completes 5G trial from the stratosphere
Oct 31, 2023 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
High altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) firm Mira Aerospace has successfully conducted a 5G connectivity trial from the stratosphere - which ranges from 4-12 miles (6-20 km) above the Earth's surface to around 31 miles (50km).
Mira said in an announcement last week, “Our team is excited to announce that our ApusDuo aircraft achieved the world’s first successful delivery of 5G connectivity from a fixed-wing HAPS (high-altitude pseudo satellite) aircraft in the stratosphere last month. Reaching a maximum flight altitude of 16.9 km, our stratosphere-ready communications payload delivered Rwanda's first 5G-enabled Zoom video call.”
The Aero company announced that communications payload continuously delivered 5G connectivity for about 73 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 16.9 km during that time. Furthermore, the stratosphere-ready 5G communications payload enabled a 5G Zoom video call during the trial.
In similar news, SoftBank conducted its own successful 5G connectivity trial from a stratospheric HAPS in September, though Mira claims its trail was the “world’s first.” Both companies did not mention one another in their announcements. However, the similarities of the trials suggest they may have been working together.