World Mobile is launching a 5G Blockchain compatible network using drones to pass connectivity directly to users around the world. The project, in partnership with the Indonesian telecommunications company, Protelindo, is designed to fill the gaps left by traditional communication infrastructure in the world.
The project uses hydrogen drones, flying at 60,000 feet in the stratosphere, to provide wireless coverage of up to 15,000 square kilometers per plane using 450 guide beams, said Charles Barnett, Director of Affairs of the World Mobile Group, told Cintelegraph.
This air network surpasses satellite telecommunications, with “6 ms of total latency”, allowing it to provide a service “up to 18 times cheaper” by GigaCtet than space infrastructure, said Barnett.
The company is trying to take a slice of Sky communications pie, a sector of $ 98.3 billion, which includes satellite and air communication platforms.
World Mobile has already created a network of decentralized physical infrastructure on the ground which mixes traditional telecommunications infrastructure and independent and distributed suppliers to extend service to unpreoseded communities in patching on dead areas.
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Challenges to launch telecommunications networks based on the atmosphere
The launch and maintenance of a communication platform based on the stratosphere has several technical and regulatory challenges, Barnett told Cointelegraph.
The company aims at each hydrogen drone, which has a 56 -meter wingspan and weighs four tonnes, to stay in the air for nine days before having to land in an designated refueling station.
This means that the machine and its fuel source must be as light as possible to reach maximum energy efficiency and remain in the air, while ensuring a robust construction which can resist weather conditions at lower altitudes in the atmosphere.
At 60,000 feet altitudes, drones will be above meteorological systems. The stratosphere also has quieter winds than lower altitudes, where turbulence can be a problem.
However, even in the stratosphere, drones must always be protected from cosmic radiation, which can damage electronic equipment. Likewise, the side of the drone facing the sun will be bombed with heat, which must be moved to avoid damage.
The satisfaction of the regulatory requirements described by the civil aviation authorities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is also a challenge for such projects.
This includes the acquisition of permits to pilot unmanned air vehicles (UAV) and the construction of each drone according to standards described by government aviation agencies.
World Mobile faces competition from the soil and space
World Mobile has several competitors in decentralized wireless networks and space communication platforms.
Helium Mobile, for example, is a decentralized protocol that combines a distributed network of wireless nodes and partnerships with established telecommunications companies like AT&T to extend wireless coverage and provide services to dead areas.
Starlink by Elon Musk, which provides internet connectivity via satellites, is also in competition for the market share in the communication infrastructure, although the two companies fill a different niche, Barnett told Cointelegraph.
Starlink is more suitable for providing services to distant areas without any cellular connectivity, while World Mobile Stratospheric is suitable for areas with a higher density of mobile users, added Barnett.
The satellite communication platform also requires the purchase of equipment dedicated to connectivity, said Barnett.
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