AALTO's solar-electric Zephyr HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) and Connect services are pioneering a new era in telecommunications and communication from the stratosphere.

For the first time, this technology offers a technically and economically feasible way to expand network coverage, tackle "white" and "dead" spots, design cost-effective disaster management solutions, and enhance broadcasts and events, along with other promising applications.

Connect services can be tailored to accommodate a variety of communication technologies, including 2G, Tetra, VHF, UHF, the forthcoming 6G, and others, to fulfil customer requirements, use cases, and business drivers.

Operating in the stratosphere above 60,000 feet (approximately twice the cruising altitude of a commercial aircraft), Connect Services provide a coverage of approximately 7,500 square kilometres (for reference, the total size of Puerto Rico is 9,100 sq. km.). In the most challenging mountainous terrains, covering this area could require an equivalent of up to 250 traditional ground towers.

Utilizing the Zephyr platform’s capabilities enable AALTO’s Connect Service to be delivered as “tower in the sky”. This allows MNOs to offer to their customers more capabilities at economics that are superior to any other solution, particularly in areas of lower population densities or difficult geographical terrain.