Airbus' solar-powered aircraft Zephyr successfully beams broadband

Zephyr, a solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) built by Airbus, was used to deliver next generation wireless internet, as part of a test flight over Arizona. Airbus was testing the'High Altitude Platform Station' (HAPS), onboard the British-built UAV, as part of an 18-day flight in the stratosphere, 76,100ft above the surface. The test was in partnership with Japanese mobile operator, NTT DOCOMO, and could one day lead to super-fast broadband in remote areas, without the need to send a fleet of satellites into low Earth orbit, according to Airbus. It carried an onboard radio transmitter that let it provide a datalink to simulate future systems that would send internet signals between the UAV and a computer. The successful test could pave the way for a fleet of Zephyr aircraft delivering 5G and 6G mobile internet to the most remote parts of the planet, or providing a short-term signal boost during a major event in a densely populated area, Airbus says.