Stratospheric Platforms announced first 5G transmission from space

Stratospheric Platforms UK maintained the first 5G transmission from the stratosphere for five hours at a height of nearly 14 kilometres, achieving a download speed of 90 Mbps to a retail smartphone.

The landmark telecoms trial was run in collaboration with the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Commission in the airspace above The Red Sea Project. Engineers connected to the local telecoms network, completing tests between a 5G base station, flying stratospheric antenna and retail mobile devices. The trial projected a 5G signal to an area of 450 square kilometres, proving the technology can achieve mobile download speeds comparable to terrestrial 5G networks and at significantly lower cost.

The joint team established three-way video calls between the land-based test site, a mobile device operated from a boat and a control site located 950 km away. Further land and heliborne tests demonstrated a user could stream 4K video to a mobile phone with an average latency of 1 millisecond above network speed. Signal strength trials, using a 5G enabled device moving at 100 km/h, proved full interoperability with ground-based masts and a consistent ‘five bars’ in known white spots.

The first successful demonstration that a high-altitude platform can deliver 5G internet from the stratosphere means that mobile users can look forward to the capability of 5G mobile internet, even in the remotest areas of the world.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Creativemarc