AALTO's Zephyr HAPS (High Altitude Platform Station) and Connect solutions are at the forefront of a new telecommunications era. Connect solutions provide stratospheric connectivity with direct-to-device capabilities and ultra-low latency, with aim of enhancing 5G applications, and paving the way for future 6G technologies.

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 solutions can be tailored to accommodate a variety of communication technologies, including 2G, Tetra, VHF, UHF, 4G 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 solutions 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.

Utilising Zephyr capabilities enables AALTO’s Connect solutions to be delivered as “tower in the sky”. This enables MNOs to provide their customers with enhanced capabilities at more feasible economics, which, for many use cases, are unmatched by any other solution, especially in regions with lower population densities or challenging geographical terrain.