软银完成日本首个HAPS空中基站通信试验并称2027年商业化

TOKYO -- SoftBank Corp. has completed the first successful trials in Japan using a communications base station that is aloft, the Japanese telecommunications company announced Wednesday, targeting 2027 for commercialization.
The testing used a High-Altitude Platform Station from U.S.-based aerospace startup Sceye. The balloon-like aerial base station was launched from the southwestern state of New Mexico and reached the skies over Japan's Cape Muroto in Kochi prefecture around 13 days later, where the testing was conducted.
The HAPS was outfitted with a 4G LTE-equivalent base station that connected to SoftBank's core network through a gateway on the ground. The testing confirmed that stable, high-capacity communications -- including voice and video calls -- could be established for emergency calls that are not yet compatible with satellite communications.
The stratospheric aircraft showed adaptability to weather conditions in Japan, staying within a 5-kilometer radius of a target area, even at an altitude of 16.5 km.
SoftBank plans to begin full-scale deployment in 2027, installing launch and landing bases in the country for multi-layered communications when disasters occur.
The testing also demonstrated capabilities including remote control of drones through the HAPS and processing data from the ground in the air for low-latency responses, which SoftBank plans to develop for industrial applications.